Bungoma Governor Kenneth Lusaka has officially launched a landmark Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) feeding program that will see 90,750 pre-primary learners across 820 ECDE centres receive fortified porridge, marking a significant step toward eradicating hunger and boosting educational outcomes for the county’s youngest students.
The program, launched at Masinde Muliro Stadium in Kanduyi, is designed to combat child malnutrition and improve attendance, concentration, and overall academic performance. Each child will receive 40 grams of fortified porridge per day, served three times a week.
“A hungry child cannot concentrate, cannot play, and cannot learn. But a nourished child can dream, thrive, and grow into a leader of tomorrow,” Governor Lusaka said during the launch. “This is more than a feeding program—it is a declaration that no child in Bungoma will be left behind due to hunger.”
The initiative, funded under the county’s current financial year budget, includes a KSh 30 million allocation for the feeding program. An additional KSh 23 million has been earmarked for ECDE teaching and learning materials, while KSh 25 million will go towards equipping vocational training centres.
To sustain the initiative throughout the term, the county has procured 141,570 kilograms of fortified porridge. The feeding effort targets children in PP1 and PP2, with current enrollment at 41,794 and 48,956 learners respectively.
Alongside the feeding program, Governor Lusaka also presided over the second round of ECDE book distribution. The county will provide new learning materials to 41,974 PP1 learners and 4,715 trainees from 89 Vocational Training Centers.
The program aligns with Bungoma’s broader ECDE modernization strategy, which includes the construction of modern classrooms, recruitment of qualified ECDE instructors, and provision of Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) teaching aids.
In a move to integrate technology into early education, the county is collaborating with EIDU, a digital learning platform that merges high-impact teaching interventions into a user-friendly system. The program has already been rolled out in 135 ECDE centres, with plans to expand to an additional 450 centres in the 2025/2026 Financial Year.
Governor Lusaka emphasized that the initiative demonstrates the county’s constitutional responsibility and long-term commitment to early childhood development. “We are investing in the foundation of our future. With proper nutrition, learning tools, and modern classrooms, our children will not only stay in school—they will excel,” he said.
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