Governor Johnson Sakaja’s administration is facing serious questions after the Auditor General Nancy Gathungu released a report showing worrying irregularities in Nairobi’s school feeding initiative and housing projects.
The Dishi na County programme, which was launched with the promise of feeding school children, has turned into a case study of poor management and possible misuse of public funds.
According to the report, the county was supposed to pay Sh25 per plate, with Sh5 of that amount coming directly from the learners. However, the county went ahead and paid the full Sh25 per plate to the implementing organisation, which means it effectively overpaid by Sh5 for every meal served.
The records show that the organisation invoiced a total of Sh345.96 million and received Sh262.26 million from the county, even as the learners were also paying Sh5 each per plate. This raises concerns about double payment and weak oversight.
Worse still, the County partnered with Food for Education during a pilot phase of the programme, but there was no signed agreement or memorandum to support this engagement.
This lack of documentation makes it hard to understand the legal basis for the partnership or how the money was accounted for.
The report also mentions a donation of Sh145.7 million from the French Embassy intended to feed 25,000 vulnerable children. However, the county failed to provide guidelines or a proper framework to manage this donation, making it impossible to track how the funds were used.
The construction of Central Kitchens also came under fire. One contract worth Sh32.5 million was awarded even though only two bidders participated, and the evaluation documents were missing signatures.
One of the bidders was wrongly eliminated despite meeting the required criteria, which suggests manipulation in the awarding process. When auditors visited the kitchens, they found cracked structures at Toi Primary just a year after construction.
There was no electricity meter, no water connection, and gas pipes were not linked to the cooking equipment. At Mutuini Primary School, the kitchen was serving more schools than planned, including high schools, and was charging Sh30 per meal going beyond the intended scope of the programme.
In the affordable housing project, the county went ahead and signed Sh31 billion worth of contracts in Woodley and Kariobangi without getting the necessary clearance from the Attorney General.
This violated procurement laws, which require such clearance for projects above Sh5 billion. By bypassing this step, the county exposed itself to legal risks and showed disregard for financial regulations.
These findings paint a worrying picture of how Nairobi County is being managed under Sakaja’s leadership. From the school feeding programme to multi-billion housing deals, the lack of accountability and poor handling of public funds raises doubts about whether the county government is truly serving the people.
