Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has said that the government is partnering with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to enhance school feeding programs to increase the number of children benefitting from them.
When he hosted UAE Minister for Environment and Climate Change Mariam Almheiri in Nairobi, Gachagua said the two countries enjoy strong ties.
Almheiri is leading her country’s delegation to Nairobi's inaugural African Climate Summit.
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Gachagua highlighted that Kenya is following the steps of other countries like the UAE that have successfully rolled out school feeding programs.
He said that Kenya remains committed to scaling up the number of school children under the program from 1.8 Million to 10 million by 2030.
While praising the UAE for being the fifth-largest exporter of Kenyan goods, he also called for greater assistance as the government works nonstop to improve the agricultural sector in the nation through reforms in several subsectors being led by the DP.
Kenya increased its domestic funding for lunch services twice this year, from 15 million to 40 million dollars.
According to him, increasing the number of students enrolled in school and enhancing their retention in educational institutions will be made possible by the schemes.
The DP also praised the cooperation between the two nations in the fight against terrorism and radicalization.
On her part, Almheiri said her country was exploring partnering with Kenya in the school feeding programs.
The minister also lauded Kenya for hosting the Africa Climate Summit, terming it a good opportunity for the Global South to highlight their challenges and propose solutions to Climate Change.
