Presidential Chief of Staff Dudung Challenges Public to Prove He Owns MBG Kitchens: 'Check and I'll Give You a Reward!'

Presidential Chief of Staff (KSP) Dudung Abdurachman has denied allegations linking him to the ownership of a Service Unit for Nutrition Fulfilment (SPPG) point, or kitchen, for the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme, which has recently come under the spotlight amid a legal case ensnaring a former chief of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN).

Dudung asserted that he has never owned nor managed an MBG kitchen. He even challenged anyone who can prove the allegation by offering a reward. “If Mr Dudung owns a kitchen, please check, I will give you a reward later. So, there is absolutely none, I do not own a kitchen, yes,” Dudung said at the Presidential Staff Office, within the Presidential Palace complex, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday, 10 June 2026.

Dudung’s name had previously been mentioned in various speculations developing regarding allegations of parties owning MBG kitchen points through certain networks. Responding to this, Dudung explained that his involvement was limited to helping connect Islamic boarding school (pesantren) administrators with former BGN chief Dadan Hindayana.

According to Dudung, several months ago, a number of pesantren administrators approached him to request assistance so that their pesantren could become part of the MBG programme. This request arose because the pesantren had thousands of students deemed eligible to be beneficiaries of the programme. “There was news that Mr Dudung supposedly had points through Mr Dadan. Let me inform you, several months ago, maybe seven or six months ago, I am close with pesantren. There were these pesantren administrators, Abah Junaidi, Ustaz Iskandar, who conveyed to me that there is a programme indeed for pesantren, as targets for beneficiaries. Because in those pesantren, there are four thousand students, some five thousand, so they could be designated as a point for the kitchen,” Dudung stated.

Based on that, Dudung admitted he only conveyed information to Dadan regarding the existence of pesantren that, administratively, were deemed ready to participate in the MBG programme. After that, further communication was carried out directly by the pesantren and the BGN without his involvement. “Well, the realisation did not happen. I eventually told Mr Dadan, ‘Oh, please go ahead, sir, contact my staff member Mr Arif Nurahman later’. In the end, let them establish contact,” he said.