Across Kenya, a quiet transformation is taking place in school kitchens - and beyond.

The government’s bold plan to reach 10 million learners with daily school meals by 2030 is not just about food. It’s about improving children’s health, access to education and learning outcomes, boosting local economies and building climate resilience plate by plate.

This effort aligns with Kenya’s broader ambitions for education transformation, as outlined in the National Education Sector Strategic Plan (2023–2027) and the country’s Partnership Compact (2021) that aim to improve learning outcomes and lay a strong foundation for human capital development—ambitions that can be supported by school meal programs.

To reach this goal, Kenya launched its national chapter of the school meals coalition in 2024 led by the Ministry of Education and with support from the World Food Programme as the Secretariat.

The Coalition is supported by the GPE Technical Assistance Facility, bringing together government, development partners, civil society and other stakeholders to jointly advance progress on the expansion of the national school meals program—with government in the driving seat.

This milestone builds on decades of school meals implementation in Kenya that began in 1980 through partnerships with the World Food Programme and other stakeholders.

A recipe for sustainability

Until recently, most school meals in Kenya were built around a simple foundation: maize and beans. Filling, yes—but not always nutritionally adequate.

Now, with support from the Ministry of Health and partners like the World Food Programme, the Ministry of Education is developing a national menu guide that promotes safer, more nutritious and more diverse meals.

Ingredients like sorghum, cowpeas and orange-fleshed sweet potatoes—grown locally and adapted to Kenya’s changing climate—are offering more vitamins and better nutritional value.

The new approach acknowledges regional diversity while linking schools to local farmers so that meals reflect what grows best in each area. What works in Garissa might not work in Turkana—two culturally different regions on opposite sides of the country—and that’s okay.

Meanwhile, another transformation is underway in school kitchens themselves. Today, nearly 90% of schools still rely on firewood. It’s a method that’s increasingly unsustainable—depleting forests, exposing cooks to harmful smoke and driving up fuel costs.

Scaling school meals without changing how we cook would only worsen these impacts.

A national feasibility study is also underway, supported by GPE’s technical assistance facility, to identify the most viable solutions for Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands while improved cookstoves are being distributed to reduce firewood dependency in the short term.

But clean cooking isn’t just about swapping out stoves. It’s about shifting mindsets, building new skills and ensuring that no one is left behind—including the many women who earn a living supplying firewood.

Kenya is also exploring carbon financing and energy mapping to make these changes more scalable and affordable.

Strategic policies and embracing technology

If clean cooking is what makes kitchens work, it’s Kenya’s procurement and supply chain systems that make school meals possible in the first place.

Globally, school meal programs inject an estimated US$80 billion into local and global markets each year, reflecting the significant economic impact beyond feeding children.

When governments buy food locally, they create structured, predictable markets for smallholder farmers—reducing their risks and encouraging investment in more diverse, sustainable crops.

Kenya is embracing this potential. Through local sourcing, nutrition-focused procurement policies and strategic contracting, the program is not only feeding children—it’s fueling rural economies.

Aggregation centers help small farmers pool their produce and reach school markets more easily.

Behind the scenes, digital tools are streamlining operations. County warehouses are being upgraded for better food storage. School boards are being trained to track inventory through mobile platforms.

Kenya’s education management system is being enhanced with modules for last-mile food delivery.

None of these improvements happen in isolation. Coordination is key. And Kenya is leading through its national school meals coalition, which brings together government agencies, development partners and private sector leaders to stand behind Kenya’s scale up.

Meals to protect all and the planet

The goal is simple but powerful. Make every school meal count.

That means delivering food that’s safe, nutritious, locally sourced and cooked in ways that protect people and the planet. It means transforming kitchens, empowering farmers and putting children at the center.

It also means ensuring that all children are truly at the center, including children with disabilities. Joint assessments by Kenya’s government and WFP show that households caring for persons with disabilities experience higher levels of poverty and food insecurity.

In response, the program now reaches schools for children with disabilities with regular nutritious meals made from locally sourced ingredients.

This inclusive approach turns school feeding into a powerful tool of social protection—linking learners, caregivers, farmers and institutions in a safety net that upholds dignity, access and opportunity.

From cleaner stoves to smarter menus to stronger supply chains, Kenya is keen to showcase that with the right systems in place, school meals can do much more than fill stomachs. They can power the next generation.

These achievements and technical assistance support to government would not have been possible without support from partners including GPE!