The Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) has officially inaugurated a modern central kitchen in Rwamagana District that will prepare meals for more than 15,000 students and over 260 teachers from five schools.
The kitchen, built at GS Bujyujyu in Muyumbu Sector, was officially opened on Friday, November 13, 2026, by the Minister of State for Education, Claudette Irere.
The centralised cooking initiative was introduced by the Ministry of Education to improve the quality of school meals while reducing the cost of fuel and other resources previously used by individual schools.
Irere said schools located close to one another would share a single kitchen, helping to cut operational costs, including spending on fuel, staff and water. She added that the initiative would gradually be expanded across the country.
“Our intention is to take this initiative to as many places as possible, depending on the resources available and support from our partners,” she said.
She explained that the arrangement would also make it easier for schools to access food supplies, as they would be able to purchase ingredients collectively and work directly with different food-supplying cooperatives.
Irere said the idea was inspired by experiences from other countries that have adopted similar systems, including Brazil.
The modern kitchen, located in Bujyujyu, Muyumbu Sector, is equipped with solar-powered electricity and modern smokeless cooking stoves. The facilities are expected to reduce environmental pollution while providing a clean environment for food preparation.
The Rwandan Government has continued to strengthen its school feeding programme under its five-year plan covering 2024 to 2029, recognising its important role in keeping children in school.
More than 4.5 million students currently receive meals at school across the country.
According to the Ministry of Education, the programme has contributed to reducing school dropout rates, which fell from 9.4 per cent in the 2019/2020 academic year to 4.7 per cent in 2023/2024.
