When Governor Johnson Sakaja launched Dishi na County in August 2023, the school feeding programme was meant to be a panacea for avoidable school dropout among learners in the capital, especially those from informal settlements.
But while the initiative targeting public primary schools and early childhood development learners has had its successes, the programme has been dogged by a litany of controversies, court cases and audit queries.
The programme is currently feeding more than 324,000 learners daily, delivering over 85 million meals to children across the capital city over the three years of its existence.
At the heart of the programme are the Giga kitchens – a partnership between Food 4 Education and City Hall – built across the 17 sub-counties of Nairobi.
The kitchens are said to be powered by green energy using steam gas technology to prepare the meals, which are served at a subsidised cost of only Sh5 per meal, paid by parents.
Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu, in two successive audits covering the financial years ending 2024 and 2025, flagged the programme for being mired in procurement irregularities and questionable spending.
City Hall is accused of overpaying contractors and failing to follow proper financial guidelines, while cracks and poor workmanship were identified at some of the kitchens built for the pro-gramme.
Three years since its launch, The Nation can now reveal the contractors who bagged the multi-million-shilling tenders for the construction of the kitchens and some of the faces behind the firms.
According to documents seen by the Nation covering the financial years ending June 30, 2024 and 2025, the companies include Najile Services Limited, Glomag Company Limited, Pemu Engineering and Equipment Limited, Blue Pacific Agency Limited, M/S Elitova Markers Limited, Corporate Transfer Solution Limited, Cantam Investment Limited, County Builders Limited and Pinnie Agency Limited.
Najile Services Limited bagged the tender for the construction of a central kitchen at Kayole 1 Primary School in Embakasi Sub-County at a contract sum of Sh32.37 million.
President William Ruto (right), Deputy President Kithure Kindiki (left) and Nairobi Governor Sakaja Johnson join pupils of Zawadi Comprehensive School, Kamukunji in Nairobi County for lunch during the official opening of the Dishi na County Central Kitchen on March 10, 2025.
Photo credit: PCS
Glomag Company Limited was awarded a Sh32.96 million tender to construct a central kitchen at Njiru Primary School in Kasarani Sub-County. The firm is also involved in the construction of a perimeter wall at Makadara Hospital at a contract sum of Sh11 million.
Pemu Engineering and Equipment Limited undertook the construction of a central kitchen at Roysambu Primary School at a contract sum of Sh32.4 million. The company is also involved in the rehabilitation of Kisauni Road in Nairobi West.
Blue Pacific Agency Limited bagged the tender to construct a central kitchen at Toi Primary School in Kibra Sub-County at a contract sum of Sh32 million.
The company is also involved in the construction of an ECD centre at Zawadi Primary in East leigh South Ward at a contract sum of Sh17.9 million, and a perimeter wall at Kiboko Primary in Mlango Kubwa at a contract sum of Sh6.5 million.
M/S Elitova Markers Limited seems to be eating with a big spoon at the county government, having bagged several tenders worth millions of shillings.
The firm was awarded tenders for the construction of central kitchens at Farasi Lane Primary School in Westlands at a contract sum of Sh32.68 million, Baba Dogo Primary School in Ruaraka Sub-County at Sh32.8 million and Kangemi Primary School in Westlands Sub-County at a contract sum of Sh32.68 million.
The company is also involved in other tenders with the Nairobi County government. It is also involved in the construction of Mutuini Market at a contract sum of Sh242 million.
Corporate Transfer Solutions Limited was involved in the construction of a central kitchen at Kwa Njenga Primary School in Embakasi South at a contract sum of Sh32.52 million. The firm is also involved in the completion of a new ECD centre at Kawangware Primary at a contract sum of Sh13.99 million.
Cantam Investment Limited constructed a central kitchen at Muthangari Primary School in Dagoretti North Sub-County at a contract sum of Sh32.1 million. The company is also involved in the maintenance of Accra and Latema roads in the CBD at a contract sum of Sh31.4 million.
County Builders Ltd was awarded a contract for the construction of a central kitchen at Bidii Primary School in Makadara Sub-County at a contract sum of Sh32.6 million.
Pinnie Agency Ltd was awarded a contract for the construction of a central kitchen at Race-course Primary School in Starehe Sub-County at a contract sum of Sh32.4 million. Apart from the kitchen construction tender, the firm has another tender worth Sh236.5 million for the construction of a modern block at Mutuini Hospital.
The Nation conducted a search for some of the companies in August this year to reveal the faces behind the multi-million-shilling contracts.
The CR12 for Elitova Markers Limited revealed that it is a private company registered on April 6, 2018. The company has an address along Mpaka Road in Lavington, Westlands, with Landvalue Limited being the biggest shareholder, holding 67 ordinary shares out of a total of 100. The other shares are held by Moses Ngacha Githinji, who is listed as a director and shareholder. Joseph Mwangi Mbogoh is listed as the company’s secretary.
President William Ruto, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja and Nairobi Women Representative Esther Passaris during the Launch of Nairobi County School Feeding Programme at Roysambu Primary School on June 20, 2023.
Photo credit: PCS
A search for Landvalue Limited revealed that the firm was registered on May 7, 2008, with an office along Muthithi Road, Westlands. John Anthony Mungai and George Thairu Kamau are listed as directors/shareholders, while Lucy Waweru is the company secretary.
Glomag, a private company, was registered on August 14, 2008, with an office in Nairobi West and an address in Westlands. The firm has a sole director/shareholder named Margaret Cheruto Seurei.
Pinnie was registered on August 13, 2008, and is based at IPS Building along Kimathi Street. The directors/shareholders are Abdirizak Hussein Sheikh and Musa Osman Yarrow Elmi, each holding 500 ordinary shares.
But as millions of shillings were being dished out, Ms Gathungu was returning a damning assessment of the projects.
An audit report for the financial year ending June 30, 2024, revealed material weaknesses in pro-gramme design, governance, procurement, financial management and oversight.
At the heart of the anomalies were several procurement irregularities involving tenders for the construction of the kitchens.
Some of the irregularities identified included tender evaluation reports contradicting individual committee members’ scores, evaluators not signing individual score sheets, thereby raising doubts over the authenticity of the scores, and, in some cases, bidders being irregularly declared non-responsive and eliminated.
The auditor cited the tender for a central kitchen at Njiru Primary School, won by Glomag Company Limited, where three bidders submitted proposals. However, a review of the evaluators’ scores revealed that none of the evaluators had signed their individual score sheets, raising doubts about the authenticity of the scores.
Ms Gathungu said a physical verification of a central kitchen at Toi Primary School in October 2024 revealed visible cracks in the walls, despite the kitchen having been completed only a year earlier.
There was also poor workmanship on the pavements, while the installed gas pipe was not connected to the cooking vessels, rendering the kitchen unusable. The kitchen was constructed by Blue Pacific Agency Limited at a cost of Sh32 million.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja serves President William Ruto lunch at Toi Primary School under the Dishi Na County programme.
Photo credit: PCS
According to the bill of quantities, the contractor was expected to install three water tanks, each with a capacity of 5,000 litres, for cold water storage at a total cost of Sh300,000.
The contractor further failed to install a driveway and parking lights, which were valued at Sh500,000, as specified in the bill of quantities.
A year later, the flagged issues persisted, with an audit report for the financial year ending June 30, 2025, revealing procurement and payment irregularities, including missing tender documentation, inconsistencies in procurement timelines, execution of contracts without full authorisation, advance payments not supported by work plans, and unsupported and irregular payments to designated and non-designated kitchens.
According to the report, a discrepancy was noted in Embakasi Central, where the awarded kitchen was indicated as being at Thawabu Primary School, but audit documentation placed the project at Kayole 1 Primary School.
“An advance payment of Sh160 million was justified using proforma invoices, contrary to pru-dent financial management, and was not supported by phased work plans… an additional Sh118.63 million was paid without any supporting documentation,” reads the audit report.
However, two months ago, while marking three years since its launch, Governor Sakaja spoke glowingly of the programme, sidestepping the queries raised.
He said his administration plans to expand the programme beyond public primary schools to include public day secondary schools, with a framework also being developed to extend support to learners in schools within informal settlements.
The programme currently includes chapati on its menu following the installation of a chapati-making machine at the Toi Primary kitchen. The machine can produce up to 2,000 chapatis per hour.
“For the last three years, this programme has helped keep many children in school and significantly improved enrolment,” Governor Sakaja said.
According to the governor, school enrolment has increased by more than 40 per cent since the programme’s inception.
Parents contribute a subsidised Sh5 per meal, with the balance covered by the county government and partners. However, even the payment model has not escaped scrutiny.
Ms Gathungu revealed that the digitally administered “Tap to Eat” system was implemented without evidence of procurement, contractual arrangements, a system audit or safeguards for data protection, despite involving minors.
The report observed that the programme exhibited characteristics of a public-private partnership, yet no formal PPP agreement was in existence.
Further, the report indicated that the co-payment model requiring parental contributions lacked controls over collection, accounting and reconciliation, with no provisions to safeguard access for vulnerable learners.
City Hall entered into a contract with Food 4 Education on December 5, 2023, for the provision of school feeding services as part of the programme for a year at a rate of Sh25 per plate.
However, a review of invoices and payments made indicated that the organisation received Sh30 per plate instead of the agreed Sh25.
Further, a review of the documents and interviews with management revealed that in September 2023, the Embassy of France pledged financial support to Food 4 Education towards the programme for 25,000 of the most vulnerable children, amounting to approximately Sh145.7 million. The funds were disbursed directly to the organisation. However, the audit could not ascertain how the funds were accounted for.
