Inua Jamii Beneficiaries To Receive Cash Payment At Sub-county Level

NAIROBI, Kenya, November 24, 2020 – Beneficiaries of government cash transfer Fund under Inua Jamii are now receiving their pay at the Sub County and Ward level to save them from travelling long distance for the service.

The Kenya government on Monday, November 23, 2020, began the disbursement of KSh4.366,644,000 to beneficiaries of Inua Jamii cash transfer programme.

Cabinet Secretary for Labour and Social Protection Mr Simon Chelugui said financial institution that are handling Cash transfer for social protection have been asked to take their services closer to vulnerable children, people living with disabilities and the older persons in the villagers using their financial agents and mobile banking at the grassroots.

CS Chelugui said the government was concerned with the plight of the vulnerable groups who face a lot of challenges travelling long distances and queueing in congestion at the banking hall to collect their pay, a situation, he noted, inconvenienced the beneficiaries.

Speaking at his NSSF office when he hosted a WFP team, CS Chelugui explained that the cash transfer program has given hope, dignity and honour among vulnerable members of the society the money provide under the program give them purchasing power.

The amount was released last week and expected to cushion 1,091,166 beneficiaries belonging to the vulnerable groups against the vagaries of the coronavirus pandemic. The vulnerable groups include Older persons, Persons with severe disability and Orphans and Vulnerable Children.

Each of the beneficiaries will receive KSh4,000 to cover the July-August 2020 payment cycle. A total of 293,665 beneficiaries enrolled in the Orphans and Vulnerable Children cash transfer programme will receive KSh1,174,728,000.

Under the Older Persons cash transfer programme, 763,553 beneficiaries will be paid KSh3,056,096,000 while 33,948 beneficiaries enrolled under the Persons with Severe Disability will receive KSh135,820,000.

Beneficiaries will receive their payments through the contracted Payment Service Providers (PSPs); Co-operative Bank Ltd, Equity Bank Kenya Ltd, KCB Bank Kenya Ltd, and Kenya Post Office Savings Bank Ltd.

The Cabinet Secretary noted, that the implementation of the Inua Jamii program has led to increase of life expectancy of the vulnerable members of the society.

He said vulnerable children, persons with severe disabilities and older persons benefiting from the program are now able to buy medicine, food and meet other basic necessities.

Mr Chelugui said the government was developing a law that will guide how custodians and care givers handle funds entrusted to them for the benefit of the vulnerable members of the society.

The WFP Representative and Country Director Lauren Landis said her organization will continue partnering with the government to find solutions facing the vulnerable members of the society.

Ms Landis said the social protection program has transformed lives for the vulnerable adding that there was need to conduct a study to measure and quantify the impact of the cash transfer program