NAIROBI, Kenya – Kenyan social innovator and nutritionist Wawira Njiru has been named the recipient of the German Africa Prize 2026 in recognition of her pioneering work transforming school feeding into a model for food security, job creation and economic development.
Njiru, the founder and CEO of Food4Education (F4E), was recognised by the German Africa Foundation for developing a locally driven school-feeding model that connects children, families, farmers, governments and businesses.
The award comes as food systems globally face growing pressure from conflict, climate volatility and fragile supply chains.
The jury said Njiru’s work demonstrates how school feeding can go beyond providing meals to become part of a broader economic system that strengthens local food production and creates employment.
“Wawira Njiru demonstrates that school feeding can be much more than simply providing meals,” said Claus Stäcker, President of the German Africa Prize jury and Director of Programmes for Africa at Deutsche Welle.
“With Food4Education, she has created a system that reaches children, involves families and strengthens local economic cycles. Her idea and her commitment have led to an African solution to a global challenge.”
From 25 children to 660,000
Njiru founded Food4Education in 2012, initially providing meals to just 25 schoolchildren.
The organisation now serves more than 660,000 children across over 1,900 schools in Kenya, having delivered more than 200 million meals.
F4E’s model combines school meals with local procurement, employment and technology in an effort to create a financially sustainable system rather than one dependent entirely on traditional aid.
The organisation says its funding model brings together contributions from families, government financing and catalytic philanthropy.
Technology drives school-feeding model
A key component of the programme is Tap2Eat, F4E’s digital platform that allows families to contribute towards meals through wearable NFC wristbands or cards.
The technology also supports planning for food procurement, production and distribution across F4E’s network of kitchens.
Among its facilities is the Giga Kitchen in Nairobi, which uses solar and steam-powered systems.
F4E says the model enables it to provide a nutritious meal for approximately 30 US cents, while keeping food waste below two per cent.
Njiru said the organisation’s approach challenges the traditional perception of school feeding as charity.
“For too long, school feeding was treated as charity. We have proven it is economic infrastructure,” she said.
“What we have built in Kenya shows what is possible when African solutions are designed around our own realities and built to work at scale.”
Farmers and jobs at centre of programme
Food4Education’s model also seeks to create a market for local agricultural producers.
About 80 per cent of the food served by F4E is sourced from local smallholder farmers, providing them with a regular buyer for their produce.
The organisation’s expanding operations now employ more than 6,000 people, with women and young people making up the majority of its workforce.
Employees work across a range of roles, including kitchen management, food safety, logistics, supply-chain management and software engineering.
Njiru said the programme’s impact should therefore be measured not only by the number of children receiving meals but also by the economic opportunities created around the feeding system.
“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.
She described the shift as the emergence of an African school-feeding economy.
F4E targets one million children
The German Africa Prize recognition comes as Food4Education prepares for another major expansion.
After 14 years of operations in Kenya, the organisation is targeting one million children receiving daily meals by 2027.
F4E is also increasingly sharing its technology, operational experience and lessons beyond Kenya as interest grows in African-built approaches to school feeding and food security.
The organisation’s expansion reflects a broader effort to demonstrate that locally designed solutions can address large-scale social challenges while maintaining local ownership and adapting to different contexts.
Prize to be awarded in Berlin
Njiru will formally receive the German Africa Prize 2026 on November 4 at the Allianz Forum in Berlin.
The award will be presented by Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Reem Alabali Radovan.
For Kenya, the recognition puts the country’s school-feeding innovation on an international platform and highlights the potential of social enterprises to combine nutrition, agriculture, technology and employment.
For Njiru and Food4Education, the award comes as the organisation seeks to demonstrate that feeding children can simultaneously strengthen farmers’ incomes, create jobs and build more resilient local food systems.
