Starting Tuesday, July 1, 2025, the Kenyan military personnel in peacetime locations will now have to pay for their own lunch as the government phases out the decades-long exchequer-funded meal subsidy.
According to the Ministry of Defence, the new Pay-As-You-Eat (PAYE) system, is designed to enhance efficiency, flexibility, and accountability in the use of public funds.
In a statement issued by the Ministry’s Strategic Communication Office, the government said the decision to transition from the centrally funded lunch program was driven by the need to streamline budgetary allocations, improve efficiency in the use of government resources, and align with best military practices both regionally and internationally.
“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 allocations, 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,” the statement read.
The Ministry further clarified that the new lunch system will apply only to personnel stationed at peacetime locations.
“It is important to note that the implementation of the new lunch feeding system will only affect Kenya Defence Forces service personnel in peace time locations. Personnel in operations and on training will not be affected as they will continue with their entitled scales.” the statement added.
The statement also raised concerns on the inefficiencies in the current system terming it unsustainable.
“The exchequer feeding system is not cost effective, it does not offer flexibility of time neither does it provide the convenience of a feeding place and further denies 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 personnel are urgently assigned duties to different camps.”
On the Ration Cash Allowance, introduced in 2000 after the abolition of exchequer-funded breakfast and dinner, the Ministry affirmed that KDF members will continue to receive it.
“The allowance has undergone several upward reviews to cushion the personnel against inflation, it gives the service members freedom to feed conveniently and in accordance with their preferred meal choices.” the Ministry assured.
After previously encountering pushback within the force in moves to abandon the current system, it’s now almost certain the exchequer-funded meal subsidy will be replaced with the new Pay-As-You-Eat (PAYE) system.
