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{
"id": 1199112,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1199112/?format=api",
"text_counter": 338,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Seme, ODM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr.) James Nyikal",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity. I also take this opportunity to congratulate you for being appointed to the Chairpersons’ Panel. I appreciate the effort you are making in getting our new Members to speak. The panel is doing well. As it has been the practice, even when you became a Member, my suggestion would be to advise the Members to come as early as possible and key in, and then you follow that order. If that does not work, at least Members will feel that it is their clocking in time that matters, not just your choice. That is just a by-the- way. On this, I have waited this long, because I want to support this Motion. As a paediatrician, I not only see this as an educational problem, but as a child health and development problem. This is because at the early stages that this occurs, particularly in early childhood and early primary education, the child’s nutrition is extremely important. For example, the growth of the brain is vital at that time. After that time, even with good nutrition, the growth would have stopped and, therefore, the children will not benefit. We should target children at this stage. In fact, their cognitive functions will improve. Their performance – not only in exams, but also later in life – is significantly changed if there is good nutrition at this stage in life. Not only that. It is important even for their physical growth. If there is lack of nutrition at this early stage, children experience stunted growth, particularly the female children. When they get to puberty, they fail to have proper development growth with a lot of obstetrical problems that they may face later on. I do not see this as an educational problem only, but also as a health problem during the critical stage of growth and development of a child. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, it is also of educational value, because if young children are not well fed, they have shorter attention span; their blood sugar goes low and they cannot function. So, they will be wasting time in schools if they are not properly fed. Proper meals are extremely important to them. I support this because it is a practice that has been going on in this country. For the last 30 years, there has been disjointed attempts at school feeding programmes, and the Government has particularly concentrated on ASALs, where there is food insecurity. But again, to a large extent, this has been done by NGOs, particularly the WFP. This programme covers about 1.2 million children. However, this is not done in a structured manner. The Government spends up to about Kshs.1.8 billion a year on this, but again not in a structured manner. You may be aware that there have been efforts to look at this issue in a more integrated manner by having community participation and home-grown solutions. However, this has not taken place. Why has this programme been on and off for 30 years? All of us have praised the Nyayo School Milk Programme, but why did it end? The problem is that there was no policy foundation or a backing in law. Had that happened, the programme would still be going on."
}