The Status Of School Feeding Programme And Implication For Access And Retention: A Case Of Primary Schools In Kamukunji District, Nairobi, Kenya.

The role of education in facilitating development across nations is well documented. Equally in disputable is the importance of basic education in society as a whole, as determined by both social and private return from primary education. With the declining enrolment trends in Africa experienced since the 1980s and the continent’s commitment to achieving the Education For All (EFA) goal [Dakar Forum,2000, and Millennium Development Goals (MDGS primary education becomes a crucial issue and needs to be addressed urgently. Strategies put in place by different governments across the world in an endeavour to realize this goal are varied. The objectives of the study were to find out the status of the SFP in Kamukunji District, determine the impact of School Feeding Programme on access and retention in primary school as well as suggest possible interventions and strategies for a better School Feeding Programme. The study was based on the investment in Human Capital Theory. The literature review included the cause of low enrolment, universal primary education then information on School Feeding Programme and its effect to access and retention. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The population included Education Officers, head teachers, parents, pupils in nine public primary schools in Kamukunji District, Nairobi. Data were collected using questionnaires, interview schedules and focus group discussion. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, which included frequency distributions and the means. Data were also presented in graphs, by tables and pie charts. The area of study sought to establish if the SFP had any implication on access and retention. After the study, it was established that the SFP had a great impact and role in affecting access and retention of pupils in Kamukunji primary schools. The researcher made the some recommendations; that the Kenyan government should meet the entire cost of the SFP, more teachers should be employed to assist in running the SFP, and low cost cooking methods should be installed. More over the WFP and FTC-K should offer variety of foods, balanced diet as well as increase the number of servings per day for the children.