Buy food from NCPB depots, Fred Matiang'i tells schools

Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i. He has directed schools to purchase their food from National Cereals and Produce Board depots, where he said prices are lower. PHOTO | DENNIS ONSONGO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • According to statistics from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, inflation has hit a 57-month high due to rising food prices.
  • Official data shows that inflation hit 10.28 per cent in March.

Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has directed schools to purchase their food from National Cereals and Produce Board depots, saying prices there are lower.

Dr Matiang’i said the government had already released the food to the depots that, he added, is a different allocation from that being sold to the public.

“I am appealing to schools management to make requisitions to the board’s management and be sold the commodities with ease,” he said.

Dr Matiang’i made the remarks at Kaplong Girls’ National School in Sotik Sub-County in Bomet County during an inspection of the school’s development activities.

He was accompanied by area MP Joyce Laboso.

HIGHEST RATE

The CS presented the institution with a Sh25 million cheque for infrastructure development. 

According to statistics from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), inflation has hit a 57-month high due to rising food prices.

Official data shows that inflation hit 10.28 per cent in March.

“This is the highest rate since May 2012. Between February and March, the food and non-alcoholic drinks index increased by 3.18 per cent.

RECENT DROUGHT

This was mainly attributed to increases in prices of several food items including spinach, maize flour, milk, potatoes and maize grain,” the bureau said in a statement.

The KNBS attributed the price rise to the recent drought that cut supplies.

The Education CS had earlier visited Lorna Laboso Memorial Girls’ Secondary School, where he donated Sh5 million for infrastructure development.

He also toured Ngariet and Kaplong Boys secondary schools on a similar mission.