20/01/2025
MAK speech duringTHE FLAGGING-OFF OF MANDERA COUNTY ECDE FEEDING PROGRAMME FY: 2024/2025
20TH JANUARY 2025.
HONOURABLE MEMBERS OF THE MANDERA COUNTY ASSEMBLY,
CECMS,
COUNTY CHIEF OFFICERS,
SENIOR COUNTY STAFF,
RELIGIOUS LEADERS,
COMMUNITY ELDERS,
WOMEN AND YOUTH LEADERS,
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
ASALAM ALEYKUM WARAHMATULLAHI WABARAKATUH.
Today, we gather to officially launch the ECDE feeding programme for the 2024/2025 financial year.
My administration prioritises education as a cornerstone for social transformation, as outlined in my manifesto to the people of Mandera. In the first quarter of my administration, I established an education task force to identify key challenges in achieving quality education in ECDE, TVETs, and the Duksi-ECD integration programs.
In October 2023, we officially launched the taskforce report, which recommended actionable strategies to address existing gaps in the short, medium, and long term.
The Ministry of Education has since begun implementing these recommendations within set timelines to revitalise, reform, and strengthen the education sector.
Ladies and gentlemen,
One of the key interventions in the Early Childhood Education sub-sector is the enhancement of the school feeding program. Over the past two financial years, we have increased budgetary allocations for this program. As a result, we have significantly improved the nutritional well-being of our learners and boosted access to ECDE learning outcomes.
The results speak for themselves. ECDE enrolment has grown from 23,499 in 2021 to 32,300 in 2023, and further to 35,238 in December 2024—a remarkable 28% increase.
Additionally, the number of ECDE centres has risen from 312 to 355, representing a 13.8% increase in expanding access to education across the county.
This year, the Department of ECDE will distribute 125 tons of Unimax porridge to centres across the county to ensure our learners receive the nutrition they need to thrive. These achievements underline
