The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) has rolled out a new meal payment system aimed at curbing the misuse of ration cash allowances by its personnel.
The move comes after it emerged that some service members were using their meal allowances as loan collateral, leaving them without food during their service.
To address the issue, KDF will now channel the meal cash allowance, commonly known as the ration cash allowance, through the Defence Savings and Credit Cooperative Society (DESACCO). Under the new system, half of the allowance will be locked in the KDF Booking Meal App, ensuring personnel use it for meals. Any unused amount will be released at the end of the month.
“Meal cash allowance will be paid through DESACCO in order to deter service personnel from committing it on loans. Half of the allowance will be locked in the KDF Booking Meal App, and any unused balance can be released at the end of the month,” reads an internal memo communicating the directive.
The Kenya Defence Forces’ (KDF) new controlled meal payment system may cut into the take-home pay of junior officers, many of whom depend heavily on the ration cash allowance to cover daily expenses.
The allowance was introduced in 2000 after KDF scrapped breakfast and dinner services. It was meant to cushion troops against inflation and has since been reviewed periodically to match rising living costs. However, because the allowance is part of gross pay, many personnel have routinely used it as loan collateral.
The new directive blocks that option. Effective July 1, 2025, KDF officially shifted from the government-funded lunch programme to a Pay-As-You-Eat (Paye) system.
While the Ministry of Defence maintains the change will improve budgetary efficiency and offer more flexibility in meal choices, the move has caused discontent, particularly among lower-ranking service members now forced to manage their meals with limited accessible funds.
