Nairobi’s flagship school feeding program, Dishi na County, is marking its second anniversary with stories of hope and transformation. None is more striking than the tale of more than 200 children rescued from scavenging at the Dandora dumpsite and ushered back into classrooms.
At Dandora 1 Primary School, headteacher Gladys Omollo says the program has been nothing short of a lifeline.
“Most of these learners were loitering in the estate and eating from garbage,” Omollo told reporters. “But once they learned there was a guaranteed meal in school, parents started bringing them here. They are safer, healthier, and finally back to learning.”
The numbers tell the story. Enrollment at the school has surged from 2,850 to 3,380 pupils since the program began in 2023. For children previously lost to poverty, neglect, or unstable family situations, one hot lunch has become a powerful magnet back to education.
“Some of these children went to the dumpsite with their parents,” Omollo explained. “We even went there to campaign for their return to school—because now there is food waiting for them.”
The ripple effects go beyond the classroom. Parents themselves have started pooling money to sponsor meals for children left out, a show of community solidarity. “About 50 of our learners are feeding because other parents are paying for them,” Omollo said. “That’s how much this meal is valued.”
Yet challenges remain. With school holidays looming as a vulnerable period, Omollo is urging the county to consider extending the program. “Many parents are requesting to pay something so their children can still feed during the holidays,” she pleaded. “Otherwise, we risk seeing them disappear back to the dumpsite.”
Launched in August 2023 by Governor Johnson Sakaja, Dishi na County now serves over 310,000 hot lunches daily to pupils in public primary schools and ECDE centres across Nairobi. The initiative has been widely praised for boosting attendance, improving concentration, and easing financial pressure on low-income families.
Governor Sakaja has defended the program as more than a welfare handout. “No child in Nairobi should learn on an empty stomach,” he said at the launch. “This is about dignity, opportunity, and equity. It is about investing in our future.”
For schools like Dandora 1, the future is already visible—in classrooms that are fuller, children who are brighter, and a dumpsite that is slowly losing its youngest scavengers.
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