Anxiety at KDF as Defence Ministry terminates lunch subsidy

Disquiet has rocked the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) over the Ministry of Defense’s decision to terminate the lunch subsidy programme for the disciplined forces beginning the first of July this year.

In a memo seen by Citizen TV and signed by Major General Mohammed Nur Hassan, the changes to the 'pay as you eat' plan had been necessitated by the inefficiencies and ineffectiveness of the subsidy programme.

The new directive which has reportedly caused anxiety among the officers of the disciplined forces in the country has directed the abolishment of the exchequer-funded lunch subsidy programme by the end of the current financial year and usher in the new pay-as-you-eat system by July 1, 2025.

A letter signed by Major General Hassan on the 17th of this month showed that a committee established to go through the merits and demerits of the subsidy programme presented the recommendations to the service commanders committee meeting, which brings together the Kenya Army, Kenya Air Force and the Kenya Navy Service Commanders.

Held on the 29th of October 2024, it recommended that “the transition from the existing exchequer-funded lunch programme to the pay-as-you-eat (PAYE) system, necessitated by the inefficiencies and ineffectiveness of the former system.”

The memo further directed service commanders to prepare cost-effective cashless payment systems including M-Pesa Paybill numbers to pay for the soldiers’ meals.

“The system is to be deployed no later than March 31, 2025, to facilitate meal bookings and payments, ensuring accountability and efficiency… Note that the PAYE system is scheduled to be operational on July 1, 2025,” the communique states.

The new directive reportedly caused jitters among the officers, a majority who are junior in the service, who will now have to dig deeper into their pockets to protect the country.

However, the ministry has defended the plan which seeks to save about Ksh.2-3 billion per financial year.

“The decision to transition from exchequer-funded lunch program for service members to pay-as-you-eat (PAYE) has been necessitated by the need to streamline budgetary allocation, efficiency in the use of government resources, facilitating access to a variety of meals that suit individual preferences and alignment to best military practices both regionally and internationally,” it said.

The ministry added: “The exchequer feeding system has proved non-cost effective. It does not offer flexibility of time nor does it provide the convenience of a feeding place and further negates Kenya Defence Forces service members a variety of meals to suit different individual preferences.

“Consequently, the system is faulted for loss of working hours due to long queues and duplication of ration scales when service members are assigned duties to different camps.”

The statement further details that, the funds allocated to the exchequer feeding program will be utilized to improve the existing messing facility infrastructure and acquisition of catering requirements.

Ration cash allowance was introduced into the Kenya Defence Forces in 2000 when provision for the other meals (breakfast and dinner) was discontinued the allowance has undergone several upward reviews to cushion the personnel against inflation.