A Killid investigation shines the spotlight on the supply of substandard food ingredients by contractors to hostels in Kabul University and Kabul Polytechnic University.
University authorities say the matter has been frequently raised with the Ministry of Higher Studies that awards the contracts but no action has followed. But the latter accuse the former of “compromising” with the contractors – the official reason for the dismissal of the head of the Kabul University hostels.
The two institutions of higher learning are supplied all their requirements of meat, fruit, vegetables, bread and cereals by four contractors. The contracts were awarded to two companies – Food Express for cereals and Makhdoomzada for bread – and two contractors – Guldost Amani for meat and Wasea Khetab for fruit and vegetables.
Since the start of the year university authorities and students have been filing complaints about the poor quality of raw food provisions. Killid, which was given copies of their complaints, wrote to the Ministry of Higher Studies.
Acting Minister of Higher Studies Abdul Latif Roshan, who set up a delegation to reply to Killid, has confirmed the information Killid has is correct.
Arefa Paikar, deputy speaker in the ministry told Killid that the acting minister, while visiting the hostels, found there were problems in both the contracts and the food served to university students. She went on to add that “compromise” of hostel authorities with the contractor companies was one of the reasons for the problem. According to her, as a result, Asghar Maihanyar, head hostels in Kabul University was dismissed. The contractors, meanwhile, deny food supplies are substandard.
The Ministry of Higher Studies is responsible for 36 hostels that accommodate as many as 18,000 university students. Kabul University and Kabul Polytechnic University have between them roughly 3,000 students in hostels. Moreover, 45,000 students receive a money-for- food allowance.
Government regulations
On Nov 12 last year, the Ministry of Higher Studies following consultations with the president’s office proposed “three types of food menu considering the budget and food diversity” (circular 389). A week later a presidential decree (number 3241) approved the ministry’s suggestion.
While the first menu that included milk at breakfast, meat, rice and beans at lunch was projected to cost 92 Afs per student (1 USD is roughly 79 Afs), menu two (including two eggs, 320 grams bread, rice with seasonal vegetables and fruit at lunch) was priced at 78 Afs and menu three (including cake bread at breakfast, seasonal vegetables, beef with rice at dinner) at 93 Afs. Now the total cost of the food bill for the Ministry of Higher Studies is 7.5 million Afs (roughly 110,000 USD) per month, but the quality of food, according to students, continues to be poor.
Hostel officials who deny all wrongdoing say that they refused to accept substandard food supplies in the presence of student representatives.
Meat supplies
Guldost Amani, the contractor, insists the best quality meat – as stipulated under their contract – is always delivered to the hostels. The contract specifies that the price of meat without bones and fat is a fixed 280 Afs per kilogramme, meat with bones and fat at 360 Afs and beef at 400 Afs.
Asghar Maihanyar, the dismissed acting head of Kabul University, does not hide his scepticism about good quality meat being provided at such low rates!
Killid’s investigation revealed that food inspectors had rejected 196 kgs of meat because it was full of bones and fat. While the contracting company accepted the returned meat it replaced only 9 kgs.
Maihanyar says the university’s food inspectors are always in trouble with contractors given the poor quality of meat supplies. He says contractors quoted untenably low prices when bidding for the contract and then when it is time to deliver the quality suffers.
In a letter to a contracting company while he was head, Maihanyar had said, “… please specify the real price of the item and don’t cause problems for the customer”.
He has followed up on complaints about poor quality. On July 17 this year he wrote a letter (number 43/48) to the procurement department of the Ministry of Higher Studies, a copy of which is with Killid.
Meanwhile, Zabihullah Sadozai, the acting head of Polytechnic University, told Killid that the meat contractor in his opinion was dishonest. He was not adhering to the contract; the meat was mostly bones and fat, he says.
There are complaints also from students. Ahmad Samim, a student at the polytechnic university, says the meat, which is full of fat, is unpalatable. Most students waste what they serve themselves at meal time, he says.
In menu one and two each student is entitled to 100 grams of meat without bones. Students say this is far from reality.
Killid tried to interview the supplier, Guldost Amani, but elicited no reply.
Fruit and vegetable
In letter (number 67/66/109) dated Aug 21 to the Ministry of Higher Studies, hostel authorities in Kabul University complained about the poor quality of supplies. “Since days … it has only worsened,” the letter states. “This issue has been shared frequently with the contracting company but the company has not paid any attention in this regard. Moreover, the contractor company has not supplied any fruits on July 23, 2017, July 27 and Aug 10 despite repeated phone calls to the head of the supplying company.”
The letter has been signed by Hamidullah Farooqi, head of Kabul University.
Concerned authorities in the polytechnic university also sent a letter (number 97/83) dated August 27 to the ministry’s procurement department. “The (contracted) company does not replace foodstuff that is rejected by inspectors,” the letter states. The contractor’s indifference was creating “problems for hostel authorities”, the letter adds.
Ahmad Saber, an employee at Wasea Khetab, which supplies meat and vegetables, confirms the company has received tens of complaint letters about the quality of supplies. There has been no time to follow up on the complaints, he told Killid over the telephone. He also held the chaotic traffic in Kabul responsible for the delays in supplying meat regularly to hostels. He adds that they can do nothing about the quality of vegetables since it is what is available in Kabul.
Bread supplies
At first a company called Jahed Jawad was responsible for the supply of bread to the students of both Kabul University and polytechnic but the Ministry of Higher Studies cancelled the contract over complaints of poor quality and delay in supply. Five months ago another company Makhdoomzada was awarded the contract for supplying 500 kgs of bread but university officials and students continue to be displeased with the quality.
Two complaint letters (number 101 and 106) dated October 16 and October 30 this year respectively were sent to the ministry from Kabul Polytechnic University. Makhdoomzada has been supplying “poor quality bread for long” and causing “anarchy in the hostel dining room”, the letter states. As a result of student protests, university authorities have frequently phoned Makhdoomzada.
Kabul University student Ahmad Zia says the bread is cold, and has to be eaten in “layers”. Another student told Killid in the presence of Asghar Maihanyar, former acting head of hostels, Kabul University, that 70 percent of the bread was inedible.
But Mirwais Stanekzai, head of Makhdoomzada Logistic Company, denies there is a problem in the quality of bread supplied to university hostels. He, like the meat supplier, points to delays in delivery because of the traffic conditions in Kabul. He accuses the students of needlessly criticising the company. In fact, he asserts that baking bread was not a profitable business for the company but it has no choice but to fulfill the contract.
Cereal supplies
Food Express, the contractors, supply hostels in both universities and two hospitals – Aliabad and Maiwand. There are relatively fewer complaints about cereal quality but questions have been raised about the prices.
Under the contract, the company has to supply one kg of the best quality rice called Sila e Kalan for 58 Afs. However, the price of the rice in the market has since doubled. Hostel authorities wonder how the supplier is providing rice at the old rate.
Jamshed Soofizada, head of Food Express, rejects any accusations of fraud in the supplies. He claims that he compensates for the loss his company suffers with the 40 Afs profit he makes on the supply of milk.
Government inaction
The Ministry of Higher Studies has done little to address the grievances about the quality of food ingredients supplied to the two universities. Paikar, a deputy spokesperson in the ministry, claims the university authorities should sort out the problem and not wait for already overburdened senior government officials to address their complaints.
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