The government has released KES 8.6bn for elderly people under the Inua Jamii scheme after a six-month wait.
The Inua Jamii is a Government cash transfer programme that supports the most vulnerable members of the community, such as the elderly people, children and persons with disabilities, by providing them with some payments to cushion them from poverty and hunger with the aim of improving their lives.
Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Florence Bore said beneficiaries will start to receive their payments from Monday next week.
According to the Ministry, the funds will benefit 1.1 Million elderly Kenyans.
‘’The funds have been credited to the accounts of the beneficiaries, who will each receive KES 8,000 being payment for July- August 2022 and September- October 2022 payment cycles. Payment will begin on Monday, 9th January 2023,’’ Florence Bore.
Additionally, the Ministry has also released KES 11.2M for Nutrition Improvement through Cash and Health Education (NICHE), which is a complimentary programme.
The NICHE programme is being implemented in five Arid and Semi-Arid Lands(ASALs) counties of Kitui, Kilifi, Marsabit, Turkana and West Pokot and targets Inua Jamii and Hunger and Safety Net Programme(HSNP) beneficiaries’ households with children under two years and Pregnant women.
The payments will be through the Cooperative bank, Equity Bank, Kenya Commercial Bank, Kenya Women Microfinance Bank, National bank of Kenya and Postbank.
The statement comes after reports emerged that most of the Inua Jamii beneficiaries had not received their payments for a while, with some pointing fingers at the Kenya Kwanza government led By President William Ruto.
However, in its defence, the department of Social Protection blamed the delay on the National Treasury.
The programme mainly targets the Elderly, Persons with severe disabilities, Orphans and Vulnerable Children.
Read also; Treasury Sets Ruto’s First Budget at KES 3.6 Trillion as Govt Looks into Higher Tax Collections.
