Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has said Kenya plans to partners with United Arab Emirates (UAE) to bolster the school meals programme.

Speaking when he hosted UAE Minister for Environment and Climate Change Mariam Almheiri at Harambee House Annex yesterday, he said the two countries enjoy strong ties and Kenya is looking to working with the UAE to expand the initiative saying that it will increase the number of learners in school and improve their retention in schools.

Almheiri is leading her country’s delegation to the inaugural African Climate Summit in Nairobi.

The courtesy call on the DP follows the initial meeting in Rome, Italy in July when the two met on the sidelines of United Nations Food Systems Summit +2. During the meeting, they agreed to look into better ways of boosting the ongoing meal programmes.

Gachagua said Kenya is following in the steps of other countries that have successfully rolled out the programme. “Kenya remains committed to scaling up the number of school children under the programme from the current 1.8 million to 10 million by 2030,” he said.

Best interest

This year, Kenya has doubled domestic investment into the programme from $15 million to $40 million.

The DP also praised the partnership between the two countries in the fight against radicalisation and terrorism.

He also lauded the UAE for ranking the fifth largest importer of Kenyan produce while calling for more support as the government works to elevate the agricultural sector through reforms in different sub-sectors.

Almheiri said her country was exploring ways to partner with Kenya in the school feeding programmes. 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 on climate change.