WFP Kenyas Transitonal Cash Transfers to Schools (TCTS)

A Cash-Based Home Grown School Meals Programme

Who is the TCTS pilot for?
37,000 primary school children; 99 schools (including 45 very
remote schools, one of which is a mobile school for nomadic
pastoralists); and 32 grain traders.
Where is it happening?
Isiolo County, north eastern, Kenya (100% coverage of primary
schools in the county). The map above shows where WFP
in-kind assistance is being used for school meals; where the
pilot cash to schools is being implemented; and where WFP
has already handed over schools to the Governments home
grown school meals programme (HGSMP).
East and Central Africa
OMN|
Knowledge Series
Regional Bureau for
This paper is part of a knowledge sharing series to inform beter programming and communicate results.
At the centre of WFPs approach to school
feeding is an intenton to shif ownership to
natonal governments, while improving quality,
coverage and sustainability. Linking school
feeding programmes to local agricultural
producton is a critcal element in supportng
sustainable transitons, and one that can create
wider economic outcomes for small-scale
producers and traders. In Kenya, WFP has been
working with the Government to handover its
school meals programme and to support their
transiton to a cash-based home grown model.
The Governments Home Grown School Meals
Programme (HGSMP) links schools and local
agricultural producton by transferring funds
directly to schools, enabling them to purchase
food directly from local suppliers and farmers.
Afer transiton of several thousand schools from
the traditonal WFP in-kind school meals
programme to the Government-led HGSMP in
large parts of the country, in 2012, the Ministry
of Educaton requested WFP to assist with a new
and more challenging phase to expand the
programme into Kenyas arid lands. In response,
WFP began implementng a Transitonal Cash
Transfer to Schools (TCTS) pilot in Isiolo County.
This pilot is demonstratng that with the right
support, even schools in Kenyas arid lands
where producton is more limited and markets
relatvely weaker can purchase food locally,
and empower parents and teachers to manage
their own quality school meals programmes.
Students in the school meals programme in Isiolo County.
WFP/Rose Ogola
How WFP Kenya Switched School Meals from In-kind to Cash
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Studied the food markets. A comprehensive study of the food markets in
Kenyas arid lands helped WFP Kenya to understand the constraints and
opportunites that schools would face when buying food each term.
Mapped the schools. It is important to know precisely where the schools are in
relaton to the specifc markets and transport corridors. WFP Kenya used this
informaton to calculate a transfer value to ensure remote schools (that face
higher food prices) are not disadvantaged by the switch from in-kind food to cash.
Consulted all stakeholders to develop a strategy. Stakeholders agreed on a
detailed plan for a sustainable transiton from in-kind school meals to a
government-led, community-owned and cash-based programme. It is important to
keep consultng every step of the way to ensure full buy-in from all stakeholders.
Built the capacity of schools (teachers and parents) to run the cash-based
school meals programme. Emphasis was placed on fnancial management,
compettve procurement, proper record keeping, and food quality. They started
with a training, but followed up with hands-on support throughout the process.
Built the capacity of local suppliers to supply the school meals market.
WFP Purchase for Progress (P4P) colleagues trained local traders to compete
in the new market.
Prioritzed transparency and accountability. Intensive monitoring and
contnuous oversight was conducted at the school level. Communites were given
easy access to informaton and a hotline to report issues.* Controls were put in
place and discipline was meted out swifly to those who tried to breach them.
Prepared to share the results widely. Describing the process and the
controls that are in place, and demonstratng the positve benefts can help
other WFP countries that are interested in pilotng a cash-based home
grown school meals programme.
KEY STEPS
* See Knowledge Series on WFP Kenyas Complaints and Feedback Mechanism.
How were communites involved?
Kenyas arid areas have relied on food aid for decades. The
communites with high poverty levels have not had enough
say in the type of assistance they receive. Encouraging
community ownership and partcipaton was a key part of the
pilot and was achieved through two main mechanisms.
School meals programme commitees (SMPC) were elected.
Each commitee had eight members: the head teacher, school
meals programme teacher and two other teachers, and four
parents. The SMPC managed the food procurement and school
meals bank account, and oversaw the use of the funds and
food. Each commitee was chaired by a parent member who
was also signatory to the account. In total, 392 parents were
involved in the pilot.
A helpline to report issues or get informaton. Posters
were hung at the schools, children took leafets home, and
communites were informed about the hotline through
barazas (community meetngs). The hotline was used by
traders, parents, teachers, and concerned community
members.
Who were the main partners and donors?
The Ministry of Educaton, Science and Technology (MOEST);
Agricultural Market Development Trust Kenya (AGMARK);
bank managers, primary schools, school children and their
parents in Isiolo County were the main partners.
The Department of Trade, Foreign Afairs and Development
(Canada) funded the initatve.
How was the approach validated?
The strategy and early results of the pilot were presented to
stakeholders during a validaton meetng in Nairobi. At the
feld level, during preparatory meetngs for Term 1 2014, the
results of the previous term were reviewed with MOEST
county/sub-county teams and parents). WFP staf from in the
country ofce, sub-ofces, and regional ofce were briefed on
the results and lessons learned through a learning event
broadcast through a web-based conferencing facility (Webex).
What were the success factors?
Cash transfers can work for school meals even in areas where
there is limited or no local producton and very limited
capacity at the school level. Critcal success factors include a
strong collaboraton between WFP and MOEST, the building of
confdence and capacity of parents to take it on, and building
capacity of local traders to partcipate in the new market.
Increased parental involvement in childrens educaton is also
important for successful educatonal results.
What were the challenges?
Parents who are illiterate are less likely to be elected to the
SMPCs. Given that illiteracy disproportonately afects women,
this makes it more difcult for them to partcipate. In additon,
local producton of grains is limited in arid areas and traders
are not accustomed to structured markets. WFPs Purchase for
Progress (P4P) programme is working with local grain traders
to prepare them for the new school meals market. Quality
issues contnue to be a challenge as some traders do not
fumigate the maize and beans before delivering to schools.
What is the impact so far?
For over 30 years, primary schools in the arid lands have
received in-kind food aid. Parents did not partcipate nor did
they infuence what their children ate at school. They had
litle informaton about the programme, and no clear
mechanism for reportng problems. The TCTS pilot is helping
to identfy the best way to transiton the schools into the
natonal HGSMP. With the new approach, parents are
involved in receipt and management of funds, they have a
say in what their children eat for lunch at school and a
structured way to lodge complaints. Local food suppliers and
Kenyan producers beneft and new businesses have been
established in remote areas.
What was the tmeframe?
WFPs support for the expansion of the Government-led and
community-owned home grown school meals programme
included the development of a strategy (April-September
2013), a transitonal cash to schools pilot (May-December
2014), and hands-on learning. The market study was done in
2012, and preparatons began in January 2013. From start to
fnish, the initatve took about 18 months.
Top: A school cook prepares lunch for the students.
WFP/Charisse Tillman
Botom: A tender opening with local traders, parents and teach-
ers.

For more information, contact
Lara Fossi, Head of Country Programme
Lara.Fossi@wfp.org
Cheryl Harrison, Head of Innovations
Cheryl.Harrison@wfp.org
What are the lessons learned so far?
Given that all 99 schools in the county were
able to purchase food at compettve prices
in the local markets, the frst phase is
regarded as a success. But the seasonal
nature of many variables that afect markets
in the arid areas means that more learning
will emerge from future phases. Intensive
engagement of parents and rigorous
monitoring and oversight by WFP and the MOEST have
contributed to the positve results. Contnuous coaching
and supervision of the SMPCs and other school staf in
procurement, food management, and record keeping must
contnue in future phases to prepare schools for handover.
To achieve beter nutriton and food security outcomes,
funds are needed for products to protect food from pests
during school holidays; cooking pots, utensils, and bowls for
students; clean and safe water; fuel-efcient stoves; and
scales to verify quanttes of food delivered and used, and
calibrated scoops to ensure correct quanttes.
How can it be sustained and scaled up?
Ensure funds for expanding HGSMP. Ultmately, the
governments budget will need to grow as more and more
schools are handed over. Ensuring that the funds are ring
fenced and transferred in tme for schools to procure for
each term has proven a challenge for the Government under
the existng HGSMP.
Maintain accountability afer handover. WFP undertook
intense monitoring and technical oversight for the
transitonal cash to schools pilot. This should contnue even
afer handover.
Build capacity of local suppliers. Local suppliers are not
accustomed to partcipatng in structured markets. Building
their capacity to ensure a steady source of quality food for
the schools is difcult, and will contnue to be for some tme.
Establishing a plan for handover is built into the design of the
school meals programme in Kenya, and formalized in an
agreement with the MOEST, so it is now business as usual.
WFP plans to explore introducing fresh, locally-produced
commodites into the food basket. Sourcing food produced
as near to schools as possible will be a positve step and
require intensifed engagement with the Ministry of
Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries in each county.
What skills are required for success?
For a successful cash-based home grown school meals
programme, technical skills are required in market analysis,
coordinaton and partnership building, project management,
experience with/in the MOEST, food procurement, and
monitoring.
How much did it cost?
The transfer value to the schools for the
frst term ranged from 12-14 KES
(US$0.14-0.16) per child per day depending
on the distance of the school to the market
or transport corridor. The amount was
calculated using price data collected during
WFP Kenyas regular market monitoring.
The transfer value is being monitored as
the school year progresses and may be adjusted in the future.
What are the next steps?
The pilot is on-going and the learning from it contnues.
WFP will operatonalize the strategy by handing over the
Isiolo schools to MOEST at the end of 2014, and by launching
the TCTS programme in the next county. The plan is to spend
one year building the capacity of the schools and county team
in each county before transitoning the county to the
Governments programme.
The home grown school meals guidelines issued by MOEST
are being updated to incorporate good practces from the
pilot and the changes agreed in the strategy.
Additonal elements, like using locally-produced food in the
school meals basket, will be tested. By working with the
county governments, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and
Fisheries and other agricultural sector partners, it may be
possible to supply such things as: tlapia, camel milk, goat
meat, tomatoes and sukuma wiki (kale) to make school meals
more diverse and nutritous. Close monitoring of the schools
jointly with the MOEST will contnue even afer handing over.
Last Word
The school meals programme is WFPs oldest programme in
Kenya. The transitonal cash transfers to schools pilot and the
strategy for expanding school meals into Kenyas arid areas
is paving the way for a smooth transiton of this important
safety net to a government-led, community-owned
programme. The pilot is ongoing and contnues to generate
new learning; New ways are being suggested for improving
linkages with local producers and establishing controls and
systems that can be sustained over tme. The goal is to
contnue and deepen the partnership with the Ministry of
Educaton to establish the Governments home grown school
meals programme as a sustainable natonal safety net of
which Kenyans are proud.

Poster publicizing the
Transitonal Cash Transfers to Schools
programme in Isiolo County
May 2014