Dishi na County: MCA demands more transparency on Sakaja feeding project
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja joins Nairobians in sharing a meal outside City Hall on August 9, 2023, during Dishi na County's test run.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has been put to task to explain how the city's school feeding programme, dubbed Dishi Na County, is being operationalised without a guiding policy framework.
This comes as the flagship project enters its second year since it was started in 2023.
As Sakaja plans to improve the initiative by adding chapati to the menu in light of President William Ruto's recent promise, the governor has been asked to explain how much has been spent on the project so far.
In a statement tabled before the County Assembly on Thursday, Kariobangi North MCA Joel Munuve stated that there is no transparency in the management of the programme.
“It has been noted that the management and operations of the school feeding programme are marred with challenges such as lack of a clear operational plan, which has impeded transparency and accountability,” Munuve told the County Assembly.
Kariobangi North MCA Joel Munuve.
He told fellow city MCAs that Dishi Na County should be scrutinised further.
“The County Executive engaged a service provider, Food 4 Education company, for a pilot exercise without an agreement or memorandum of understanding being signed,” his statement reads.
Additionally, the county administration has been asked to give a breakdown of the total amount contributed by parents since commencement of the programme. Each child in public primary schools in the Nairobi County is paying Sh5 for a meal daily.
Sakaja’s team has also been asked to give a breakdown of the total amount contributed by local donors or well-wishers, as well as international donations.
According to Munuve, the county should clearly state the number of accounts that are being operated by the programme and its signatories.
The County Assembly Departmental Committee on Health is expected to take up the matter and provide a response to the House in two weeks.
Who else is eating?
Recently, the Controller of Budget raised concerns over the management of the project, stating that it was not clear how the French Embassy's Sh150 million donation was spent.
In September 2023, French Minister of State for Development, Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, announced the donation when she joined Governor Johnson Sakaja to feed children at Olympic Primary School, Kibra.
However, according to the auditor's report, the donation was made directly to the Food for Education account, a non-profit organisation that has partnered with the county to implement the initiative.
“The audit could not ascertain the accountability for these funds. In addition, there were no established measures by the County Executive regarding the management of donations received, as there were no guidelines in place for handling such donations,” the report reads.