End of an era as KDF officers to begin buying their own lunch

Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officers will have to dig into their pockets to buy lunch for themselves beginning tomorrow.

This is after the government announced that it would no longer offer free lunch for them in the new fiscal year and will instead introduce a subsidised Pay-As-You-Eat (PAYE) programme.

The new policy will see the KDF officers self-fund their eating system, replacing the long-standing lunch subsidy that many junior officers relied on.

The officers will be required to pay for their meals in cash at the military facilities or will have them deducted from their monthly pay.

A notice issued by Kenya Army Chief of Logistics Brigadier Eric Nzioki Kitusya officially outlines the implementation plan.

“The implementation of the subject program is scheduled to commence tomorrow. In this regard, authority is granted to you to demand Ration Scale Four (4) for fourteen (14) days with effect from July 1, for use as seed capital for the program. Your demands to reach this Headquarters not later than June 25,” he directed.

Nzioki clarified that the funds generated from the 14-day ration demand would be used to establish a revolving fund to sustain the new meal system.

“Please note that it is envisaged that the proceeds of the seed capital will form a self-sustaining revolving fund to be administered by the pay-as-you-eat management committees to oversee the operation of the messing facilities,” he said in the letter

Military units have been instructed to utilise their existing kitchens and dining facilities for the implementation.

“Further, you are advised to utilize the existing messing infrastructure/facilities/amenities to support the Pay-As-You-Eat program. Additional requirements will continue to be considered progressively on a case-by-case basis in the 2025/2026 Financial Year,” Nzioka advised.

The policy has been defended by the ministry of Defence, which said it is aimed at improving efficiency in the military and aligning with best practices.

MOD added that the new program shall see the officers served with meals of their preference.

“The decision to transition from the exchequer-funded lunch program for service members to the pay-as-you-eat system has been necessitated by the need to streamline budgetary allocation, efficiency in 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 stated.

According to the Soipan Tuya-led ministry, the exchequer-funded programme has been plagued by inefficiencies, which shall be sorted out in the new arrangement.

“The exchequer-funded lunch system has proved non-cost-effective. It does not offer flexibility of time, nor does it provide the convenience of a feeding place, and has been faulted for loss of working hours due to long queues and duplication of ration scales when service members are assigned to different camps,” it added.

The new system has been previously abandoned due to pushback within the force, with plans being revived early this year when the ministry issued a memo in January informing KDF officers to prepare for the transition.

Ration cash allowance, which currently covers lunch, was introduced in 2000 after the government stopped providing breakfast and dinner.

That allowance has been reviewed periodically to cushion service members against inflation.

With the new system that will be rolled out tomorrow, all KDF officers will have to adjust to the new cost-sharing model for daily meals, effectively bringing the era of free lunch to an end.