Pre-primary school children in Elgeyo Marakwet County will be enrolled in free milk programme following a proposed partnership between the county government and the New Kenya Cooperative Creameries (New KCC).

The initiative, which targets Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) learners, is intended to improve child nutrition, improve school enrolment and enhance retention rates in education.

Given general poverty and historical injustices that include social and economic marginalisation, the arid and semi-arid county records one of the lowest educational enrolment, retention and completion rates. The local people nomadic lifestyle and pastoralist economies ds not help matters as school attendance is interrupted frequently when communities migrate in search of water and pasture for their livestock.

Competition for the scarce resources ushers in cattle rustling and armed banditry, which affect school enrolment, attendance, retention and completion rates.

Speaking during a courtesy call on Governor Wesley Rotich in Iten, New KCC Managing Director Joseph Choge underlined the importance of the collaboration, noting that the county is a key supplier of milk to KCC milk plant in Eldoret.

“We have had milk from this county sustains our milk factory in Eldoret. We have now come here to explore how to collaborate with the county government in school feeding programme,” Choge said.

He underlined the nutritional value of milk, saying: “We have to give pre-school children milk for proper nutrition. This will help them grow into healthy adults.”

Choge further assured that the programme would be implemented equitably across the region.

“We will ensure that milk is distributed to children in every corner of the county,” he promised.

Governor Rotich confirmed the county’s commitment to the programme and revealed that discussions had already been initiated to formalise the partnership.

“We have discussed a possible partnership on delivering milk under our school feeding programme to our ECDE learners,” the governor said.

He noted that the programme is expected to have far reaching socio-economic benefits, including improved health outcomes for children and increased school retention.

In addition to supporting learners, the partnership is also poised to benefit local dairy farmers. Under the agreement, New KCC will collect milk from county cooling plants for processing, with farmers guaranteed prompt and consistent payments.

“Farmers will be paid promptly and consistently at a rate of Ksh50 per litre,” the governor confirmed.

Rotich said the proposed milk programme aligns with broader efforts by county governments to strengthen school feeding initiatives as a strategy to improved education outcomes and child welfare.

• A Tell Media / KNA report / By Rennish Okong’o