Dudung Denies Owning Free Meal Programme Kitchens, Challenges Accusers

The Head of the Presidential Staff Office (KSP), Dudung Abdurachman, has denied rumours that he owns Nutrition Service Units (SPPG) following the exposure of alleged mismanagement within the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme. Dudung stated that he does not possess any MBG kitchens whatsoever.

These remarks were made by Dudung after receiving an audience with the Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Nanik Sudaryati Deang, at his office in Jakarta on Wednesday (10/06/2026). Dudung clarified the allegations suggesting he owns SPPG sites through suspects involved in alleged corruption and price markups in MBG procurement linked to the former Head of BGN, Dadan Hindayana.

“Furthermore, I want to provide a clarification regarding news claiming that I possess sites through Mr Dadan,” said Dudung.

In his rebuttal, Dudung explained that several Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) close to him had approached him regarding the beneficiaries of the MBG programme. According to Dudung, these beneficiaries include thousands of students within these boarding schools.

“I am informing you that some six or seven months ago, as I am close to these pesantren, administrators such as Abah Junaidi and Ustaz Iskandar informed me that there was a programme targeting pesantren as beneficiaries. Since these boarding schools have four to five thousand students, they could be designated as kitchen sites,” he said.

Several of these boarding schools requested to be introduced to Dadan through Dudung to facilitate their inclusion in the MBG programme. According to Dudung, the requirements for receiving the meals had already been prepared by the schools.

“They then asked to be introduced to Mr Dadan. I conveyed that Mr Dadan, there are pesantren that are ready, have been determined, and have completed the necessary administration. However, the implementation never happened. Ultimately, I told Mr Dadan, ‘Please contact Mr Arif Nurahman, my staff’,” he explained.

In short, Dudung stated that the BGN and the boarding schools subsequently established contact regarding the MBG. However, it turned out that the schools had not yet prepared the necessary infrastructure, so the kitchens were never realised.

“Eventually, they communicated directly, and I was no longer involved. When Mr Dadan came here a few weeks ago, I asked him how it was progressing. It turns out that until now, the process is not finished and the kitchens have not been built. I checked with Abah Junaidi and others,” said Dudung.

He noted that this sequence of events has been linked to the issue of him owning MBG kitchens or SPPG sites. Dudung firmly denied the reports following the Attorney General’s Office’s handling of the corruption case within the BGN.

“It is only because I requested help from Mr Dadan that it has resulted in the claim that I own a kitchen. If it turns out that I do own a kitchen, please check, and I will provide a reward. The truth is, I do not possess any kitchens at all,” he added.