Workers of Nairobi’s Dishi Na County today staged a protest at the City Hall over unpaid salaries, irregular statutory deductions, and breach of contract.
The workers who were donned in their official attires matched around the county headquarters as they chanted that their money had been ‘eaten.’
They said they have not received salaries for the second month now, which forced them to march in the streets.
They added that the incur statutory deductions despite their pay having not met the Sh24, 000 threshold.
The protest comes amid revelations by the Auditor General in the 2023/24 financial report that the Nairobi City County government is yet to sign a Memorandum of Understanding or any agreement with Food for Education over the provision of lunch meals for ECDE kids in public primary schools.
Gathungu said she was not able to know how the company was engaged to provide the services.
“The Count Executive engaged Food for Education for the pilot exercise of the Dishi na County food programme. However, no agreement or memorandum of understanding was signed between the company and the County Executive. Therefore, the audit could not establish how the company was engaged to provide the services.” Gathungu stated.
The school feeding program, which was launched in 2023, was meant to enhance student health, improve academic performance, and encourage school attendance by addressing classroom hunger.
The initiative involves the construction of centralized kitchens, known as Giga Kitchens, in each of Nairobi’s 17 sub-counties.
The kitchens prepare meals that are distributed to schools, ensuring that students receive hot, balanced meals daily.
The program was designed to be affordable, with students contributing only Ksh5 per meal through a tap-to-eat system.
The program has eight kitchens, located in Bidii, Roysambu, Njiru, Kayole 1, Kwa Njenga, Muthangari, Toi, and Racecourse Primary.