CS Machogu Grilled Over Ksh 800M School Feeding Program
On Tuesday, November 22, members of the Senate Committee on Education probed Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu regarding the details of a Ksh800 million used by his ministry for a school feeding program.
In his defense, Machogu stated that the entire sum provided food to schools nationwide.
He then provided a breakdown showing that Ksh457 million was spent on rice, Ksh115 million, and Ksh43 million on rice. Other expenses listed by the CS include two million Kenyan shillings spent on salt.
“It compromises of rice worth Ksh457 million, beans worth Ksh115 million, vegetable oil worth Ksh43 million and salt worth Ksh2 million for the last one month in the ten counties,” he told the committee.
According to Machogu, the money was allotted to the sub-county education directors, who collaborated with county commissioners to oversee the program’s implementation.
Machogu said that the money was given to the sub-county education directors, who worked with the county commissioners to ensure the program was carried out properly.
However, the MPs questioned the accuracy of the report presented by the CS, as some lawmakers claimed the program did not exist in their respective constituencies.
As alluded to by the CS, Peris Tobiko stated that she had yet to observe any indications that the program was being implemented in her county.
Senator Margret Kamar, a fellow nominee, echoed her sentiments by requesting greater clarity regarding the plan’s efficacy.
She also noted that the counties identified as the hardest hit by the ongoing drought were not included on the list of recipients.
“I am also very skeptical because your list does not show if the schools got the food, this is a list showing the requirements of the school, can you tell us where the taxpayers’ money has gone,” she stated.
“All the Senators have said that this program is not in their counties, you are insisting it is happening, but we are not seeing it on the ground, where is it?”
The CS introduced the school feeding program as one of the rafts of measures adopted to tackle the ravaging drought in the country.
CS Machogu, while launching the program, noted that it was a product of a partnership between various stakeholders in the country.
