Unlocking Fortification Through Posho Millers
A Community-Centred Approach to Better School Meals in Kenya
Why This Matters
In many communities, local “posho” millers are the primary source of maize flour, supplying both
refined (grade 1) and whole grain (grade 2) flour. But most are not adequately equipped to produce
safe and nutritious fortified flour, and schools limited in budget and options often rely on locally
available, cheaper, less nutritious refined maize.
For children who depend on that one daily school meal, the gap in nutrition is significant.
The Unlocking Fortification Through Posho Millers project is focused on empowering micro
millers to produce safe and high quality fortifiedwhole grain flour while encouraging schools to
shift their consumption patterns from refined maize meal to fortified whole maize mealowing to
the benefits attributable
The project involves 4 key components:
1. Technical Assistance and Training: Millers received practical training in fortification,
aflatoxin management, quality control, and small business development. This helps them
improve the quality of their products, diversify their products from unfortified to fortified
and strengthen their businesses.
2. Equipment Support: Select micro millers were provided with mixers to enable proper
fortification of whole maize flour, a crucial step to ensuring fortification of maize flour to
make it more nutritious.
3. Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC): Awareness campaigns were rolled
out in schools to build understanding around the value of fortified whole grains. These
activities helped build buy-in from headteachers, school boards, and communities.
4. Market Linkages: Millers get connected directly to nearby schools, creating reliable supply
chains and allowing schools to source fresh, nutritious flour from trusted local providers.
What’s Changing
The numbers are beginning to tell a powerful story:
• 3,332 metric tonnes of flour have been milled under the project – to date.
• 68% (2,256 MT) of that total is fortified whole grain (FWG) flour.
• Fortification coverage: 48% of whole grain flour and 31% of refined flour has been
fortified.
• More than 470 schools are currently working with the project.
• Over 140,000 students are benefiting from meals made with FWG flour.
• 69% of the maize flour supplied to schools is now fortified.
• Over 1,076 metric tonnes of FWG flour have been sold to walk-in customers, proof of
strong public demand.
The success of the project has been rooted in deep collaboration with county governments
particularly the Departments of Health, Education, Trade, Agriculture, and Climate Change. These
partnerships have ensured alignment with school feeding programs and long-term county
priorities, anchoring the project within existing systems.
