- Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Florence Bore on Tuesday announced the disbursement of Sh2,089,844,000 Inua Jamii funds
- The National Safety Net Programme covers 1.2 million households in the three cash transfer programmes
At least 26,000 persons who had applied to be enlisted in the Inua Jamii programme will have to wait a little longer, before they can receive the Sh2,000 monthly stipend.
Nyeri county director of Children’s Services Kung’u Mwaniki said only those currently in the Government Consolidated Cash Transfer Programme Management Information System will receive the December disbursement.
Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Florence Bore on Tuesday announced the disbursement of Sh2,089,844,000 Inua Jamii funds.
Mwaniki said new applicants will be considered once the government finishes computing all applications.
“It is true payment for those currently in our database is going on as announced. However, for those who had applied last year, we are yet to receive notification with regard to the status of their applications," he said.
"This means they will have to wait until such a time when we get confirmation on who will be considered for the next phase."
By the end of last year, Nyeri had registered 26,606 new applicants for the Inua Jamii programme that closed on September 30.
The government rolled out a nationwide registration exercise on September 1 last year to widen the bracket of needy individuals on state social security support.
The exercise which was to end after two weeks, was extended for a fortnight to avoid locking out deserving cases.
Approximately 500,000 orphans and vulnerable children and persons with severe disability had been targeted.
In Nyeri, the government surpassed its 3,280 target of new beneficiaries and registered 3,952 people.
Bore said some 1,044,922 Inua Jamii beneficiaries across the country are expected to benefit from the Sh2 billion released by the state.
She said orphans and vulnerable children and persons living with disability will receive their money through Mpesa.
However, beneficiaries under the Older Persons Cash Transfer programme will continue receiving their money through their respective bank accounts.
Kung’u said the payments will help families take care of orphans and vulnerable children ahead of schools’ opening next week.
“Following the timely release of the December stipends by Treasury, families that take care of orphans and vulnerable children will have money to prepare for schools' opening," he said.
"We believe that those who will receive the funds will use them to meet the needs of the beneficiaries."
The government began disbursing funds for the Inua Jamii cash transfer programme on a monthly basis last year to address perennial backlogs.
The move came at a time when beneficiaries on the social safety net had waited for months without receiving the dues.
By early August last year, the State Department for Social Protection and Senior Citizens had disbursed Sh2.8 billion for the month of July.
The department also released an extra Sh4.3 million for nutrition improvement through Cash and Health Education programme.
The programme complements the Inua Jamii initiative.
A total of 1,042,864 persons were expected to benefit from the disbursement.
In Nyeri the government was expected to disburse Sh2,000 each of the 4,800 households through the CT-OVC.
A similar amount to go to 17,000 elderly persons under the Older Persons programme for the same month.
For one to access the monthly stipend, they must be registered through the CCTPMIS.
In addition, one must be in possession of an Inua Jamii payment card, a national identity card and a caregiver identification card every time he or she wants to make a withdrawal.
Beneficiaries have the liberty to choose among six banks as their payment service provider.
They include Equity, Cooperative, National Bank, Kenya Women Microfinance Trust, Kenya Commercial Bank, and Kenya Post Office Savings Bank.
President William Ruto said his administration disburse the funds on time to enhance their quality of life of the vulnerable people.
The OPCT, PWSD-CT and CT-OVC programmes was established in September 2013 to uplift the lives of the most vulnerable members in the society.
The National Safety Net Programme covers 1.2 million households in the three cash transfer programmes.