About 87 per cent of the older people benefiting from the Inua Jamii cash transfer have a moderate disability.
This is one of the findings of a baseline survey commissioned by the Ministry of Labour.
It also reports that 34 per cent of persons aged 70 years and above have a severe disability.
The survey on the Impact of the Inua Jamii 70+ Cash Transfer Programme also indicates one in every two households of persons aged 70 and above, one lives below the national poverty line.
The Ministry of Labour attributes this to older people being both providers and receivers of care and material support currently worsened by Covid-19.
Of every 10 older people, two provide care and support and three report receiving assistance.
The report has also established that 34 per cent of the elderly had a chronic disease, while 34 per cent perceived their health to be poor or very poor.
The survey further reports that 21 per cent of respondents live alone and a quarter of households have just two members. Of those interviewed, 60 per cent are monogamously married and over a quarter are widowed.
The baseline survey was conducted between March and April 2018 sought to assess the impact of the universal pension scheme on people above 70 years.
It was carried out in three sampled counties of Murang'a, Turkana and Bungoma, with an aim of collecting information on the status and well-being of older persons cash transfer beneficiaries before they started receiving the cash stipend.
It was conducted in 12 randomly selected locations in the three counties and 2,910 respondents were selected.
Since 2018, Kenya has funded and implemented the Inua Jamii 70+ Cash Transfer Programme, a social pension for all Kenyans aged 70 and over who are not in receipt of a civil service or social security pension.
The programme aims at eradicating poverty in older age and improving the welfare of poor and vulnerable older Kenyans. It reaches around 833,000 elderly people who receive Sh2,000 monthly. This is paid once every two months.
According to the 2019 census, the population of older persons (60 years and above) in Kenya is 2.7 million against a population of 48 million Kenyans, which constitutes about six per cent of the total population.
Edited by EKibii
