Monday, January 27, 2025 – Anxiety has gripped the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) following President William Ruto’s government’s plan to scrap their lunch subsidy.
According to a memo sent to the officers by
the Ministry of Defence's Major General Mohammed Nur Hassan, the lunch subsidy that has been in place for
years will end beginning the first of July this year.
The memo further indicated that the change to
the 'pay as you eat'(PAYE) plan had been necessitated by the subsidy
programme's inefficiencies and ineffectiveness.
The directive mandated
the termination of the exchequer-funded lunch subsidy program by the
end of the current financial year, transitioning to a pay-as-you-eat system
effective July 1, 2025.
The memo further
directed service commanders to prepare cost-effective cashless payment systems
including mobile money paybill services to pay for the soldiers’ meals.
The announcement has already sparked anxiety
and disquiet among junior officers, who fear they will have to dig deeper into
their pockets to cover meal costs.
However, the Ministry of Defence defended the
plan, highlighting that it aims to save approximately Ksh2 to 3 billion per financial
year.
The ministry further emphasised that the
programme will help streamline budgetary allocations and promote the
efficient use of government resources.
The Kenyan DAILY POST.
0 Comments