Kenyan social innovator and nutritionist Wawira Njiru has been named the recipient of the German Africa Prize 2026 for transforming school feeding into a model that supports children while creating jobs, strengthening local food systems and driving economic activity.
Through Food4Education (F4E), the not-for-profit social enterprise she founded in 2012, Njiru has built a school feeding system that now serves more than 660,000 children across over 1,900 schools in Kenya. The initiative has delivered more than 200 million meals and is expected to reach one million children every day by 2027.
The German Africa Foundation said Njiru’s work demonstrates how school feeding can move beyond charity and become part of a country’s economic infrastructure. The model brings together families, schools, smallholder farmers and governments to create a locally driven system that supports both nutrition and economic participation.
A School Feeding Model That Creates Jobs and Markets
F4E began by providing meals to just 25 schoolchildren. It has since grown into a large operation employing more than 6,000 people, most of them women and young people, including many entering formal employment for the first time. Employees work across areas such as kitchen management, food safety, logistics, supply chains and software development.
The initiative also creates a direct market for local farmers. About 80 percent of the food served by F4E is sourced from smallholder farmers, giving them a reliable buyer and helping keep more economic activity within local communities.
Njiru said the organisation’s work has changed how governments view school feeding. “For too long, school feeding was treated as charity. We have proven it is economic infrastructure,” she said.
The programme uses a shared funding model involving family contributions, government funding and philanthropic support. Its Tap2Eat digital platform allows families to contribute towards meals through NFC-enabled wristbands or cards while helping F4E plan procurement, production and distribution.
This technology supports operations at its kitchens, including the solar- and steam-powered Giga Kitchen in Nairobi. F4E provides a nutritious meal for about 30 cents while keeping food waste below two percent.
Claus Stäcker, President of the German Africa Prize jury and Director of Programmes for Africa at Deutsche Welle, said Njiru had shown that school feeding can support children while strengthening local economies. He described F4E as an African response to a global challenge.
Taking an African-Built Solution Beyond Kenya
Njiru’s approach is gaining attention outside Kenya as governments look for ways to strengthen food security, create employment and build more sustainable public feeding systems.
F4E is now sharing its experience, technology and operational knowledge through partnerships with African governments. In Zambia, the organisation is supporting the government in strengthening a nationally led school feeding system.
Njiru said the growing interest from governments reflects a wider shift in thinking about the economic role of school feeding. “African governments are no longer asking us how many children we can feed. They are asking how many jobs we can create, how many farmers we can connect to markets, and how much of their own budget is reinvested in local communities,” she said.
The German Africa Prize recognises individuals whose work contributes to areas including sustainable development, innovation, peace, democracy and human rights. Njiru will receive the 2026 award on November 4 at the Allianz Forum in Berlin, where German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Reem Alabali Radovan will present the prize.
The award places further attention on a model that links school meals with employment, agriculture, technology and local economic development. For Kenya and other African countries exploring ways to strengthen food systems, F4E’s growth shows how investment in children’s nutrition can also become investment in communities and national economies.
