School meals must tackle inequality, not reproduce it

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Pupils are served food through Food4Education programme in Dagoretti South. [File, Standard]

Equity does not mean giving every child the same thing in the same way. In public policy, equity means understanding where exclusion is deepest and deliberately designing for those most likely to be missed. In school meals, equity means designing programmes so that the children most in need are reached first.

Kenya’s growing investment in school meals is one of the most important public commitments to children’s welfare. A meal at school does more than satisfy hunger. It serves nutrition, education, social protection and dignity on one plate. For a hungry child, it can mean the difference between listening in class and staring blankly at the blackboard. For a struggling parent, it can mean one less daily worry.

But as school meal programmes expand, we must ask a difficult question: are we reaching the children who need them most?