4K Program in Kenya

Linking Agriculture and Nature Studies to School Performance
During the 80s and 90s, the Kenyan education system had an active policy in the curriculum that emphasized the importance of agriculture. This was the 4K club. The four Ks stand for “Kuungana, Kufanya, Kusaidia Kenya” in Kiswahili, loosely translating to coming together, to act, to help Kenya. During the early 1990s, the program waned countrywide. On February 25, 2021 the Cabinet approved the revival of the 4K clubs.

President H.E Uhuru Kenyatta then launched the rebranded 4K Club in schools, at the Nairobi International ASK Grounds.

This initiative seeks to create awareness and inculcate a positive mindset towards agriculture, among school going children.

This is a massive undertaking given that in 2021 Kenya 31,218 Primary Schools with 10.3 million learners. This is just upto Grade 8.

The Program was immediately put under Ms Anne Nyaga, the Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) in the agriculture ministry. She immediately undertook a fact- finding mission to establish why young people were not so keen on agriculture. Negative perception, inadequate financing, lack of knowledge, information and skills, were some of the critical issues that stood out. “The new 4K Club will deal with attitude change. Through club support, the child’s interest in agriculture will be developed at primary to secondary level, and even after school there are various programmes that have been designed to help them grow agriculture-wise.” She said.

Expanded scope of club
The government has expanded the scope of the new 4K Club to cover climate change, novel diseases, environmental conservation, healthy living as well as civic engagement. The new model is created to build a holistic child who is able to make a contribution to the society. The remodeled 4K Club will have the President of Kenya as its patron. It is housed high in the Ministry of Agriculture. To assist the Program are also the 4K Club guide manuals and website to support the club activities. “There is also a presidential award scheme where we’ll have the best performing clubs being awarded nationally by the president, the governors at county level and the patron at school level. Sub-county and ward agricultural officers will award the students at the sub-county and ward level,” she explained. A youth unit too has been constituted in the ministry accountable to the CS responsible for coordination of the programme at all levels and connecting with governors and the various ministries that they are collaborating with, such as the ministries of Education, IT and Environment.

Phased Implementation
Implementation of the programme will be done in various phases. The first phase will be done in five years and will cover 20 per cent of primary schools in the country. In this phase, there will also be formation of targeted 6,000 new clubs and revival of the dormant ones, which will be centres of excellence, which are in turn expected to nurture other schools.

ROA’s association in 4K clubs
In 2016, ROA received some funding to work with 4K Clubs in western Kenya.
We were able to sensitize heads of 150 Primary schools in Kakamega County.
However, the resources available enabled us to work more intensely with just 20 schools.
An evaluation carried out a team of interns in my office, led by our Monitoring and evaluation officer revealed the following:

1. The schools are very enthusiastic, pupils, teachers and parents.
2. With just 300USD, a lot can be done at the school.
3. Our work was timely, as soon after, a new curriculum, CBC or Competency Based Curriculum is being introduced gradually and the 4K activities fit in very nicely.

1. The spider plant (sagaa) did not do well in many places. The vegetable has a short life span and is not able to be harvested continuously. Black nightshade (sutsa), on the other hand, did very well in the area, and can be harvested continuously.
2. The OFSP requires a lot of rain to establish. The rains did not come as expected in March when we planted the gardens, and so the development of orange fleshed sweet potatoes was delayed. That is the reason why most students and schools had not harvested the potatoes yet.
3. Students expanded their projects by diversifying into other crops such as kales, spinach, miro, and buying hens. Hens seemed to be a favored project by both boys and girls.
4. The program demonstrated the profitability of agriculture. Students marketed and sold their produce to generate income. Income was used to pay school levies, buy books, pay for school trips, buy shoes, clothes, and to meet personal needs. Parents were relieved of some financial burdens concerning their children.
5. The entrepreneurial quality of students was strongly evident. They managed their garden projects such that they were profitable, they made decisions about what to do with the income, what to grow next, and how to sustain their enterprises.
6. There was an impact on the teachers involved and parents. Teachers appreciated having readily available vegetables to buy and vines to plant in their homes. The gardens are also in support of the (new) competency-based curriculum (CBC) in Kenya. Parents learned GAPs for the different crops because their children would teach them what they learned in school.
7. Parental involvement from the beginning of the project was important in ensuring the success of the program. Parents helped in managing their children’s gardens while they were in school.
8. The crops, especially indigenous vegetables, contributed significantly to the family’s diets. Having children operate gardens at home can help to ensure household food and nutrition security.
9. There is a strong link (which a subject of a Masters research) between academic performance and exposure to nature. Schools involved are registering good results while students at management/ leadership level are excelling in exams. Once they pass well they then reach out to us to help with school fees.

Conclusions and Recommendations
The program was a success, based on what we observed in schools and the home gardens. There was a transfer of knowledge from school to home gardens. The gardens helped to meet household food and nutrition security, and the income realized from sales helped the families. The children were empowered through the program. They became more self-reliant.

This program is helping youth to realize their potential at a young age. We would recommend that the program would be replicated in other schools in western and even other parts of Kenya so as to reach more children with the same concept. Resources are needed for both public and private sectors. The support ROA has received towards 4K Programs in schools, and school fees and sanitary pads is highly appreciated. We would like to appeal for more support.

By:

Prof Ruth Oniang’o
Founder Rural Outreach Africa
2017 Africa Food Prize Laureate