Kenya is collaborating with the United Arab Emirates to support school feeding programmes in the country in order to increase the number of children who benefit from the initiative, according to Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
The DP said the two countries have strong ties and Kenya is looking into working with the UAE to expand school-feeding initiatives when he hosted United Arab Emirates Minister for Environment and Climate Change Mariam Almheiri at Harambee House Annex.
Almheiri is leading her country’s delegation to the first African Climate Summit in Nairobi.
The courtesy call on the DP came after the two met last July on the sidelines of the United Nations Food Systems Summit 2 in Rome, Italy, and agreed to look into better ways of boosting the ongoing meal programmes.
The two held discussions on Monday that were centred on incorporating climate-friendly actions into expanding Kenya’s school meal programme.
The Deputy President emphasised that Kenya is following the lead of other nations, like the UAE, that have successfully implemented school feeding programmes. He stated that Kenya is still committed to increasing the program’s target enrollment of schoolchildren from the current 1.8 million to 10 million by the year 2030.
While praising the UAE for being the fifth-largest exporter of Kenyan goods, he also called for more assistance as the government works nonstop to improve the agricultural sector in the nation through reforms in various subsectors being led by the DP.
This year, Kenya has doubled its domestic investment in meal programmes from 15 million USD to 40 million USD.
He claimed that the programmes would be crucial in boosting enrollment rates and enhancing students’ retention in educational facilities.
The DP also praised the cooperation between the two nations in the fight against terrorism and radicalization.
The UAE Minister stated that her nation was looking into ways to collaborate with Kenya on school feeding initiatives.
The minister also praised Kenya for hosting the Africa Climate Summit, calling it an excellent chance for the Global South to highlight its problems and suggest solutions to climate change.