President Uhuru Kenyatta launches multi-million shilling programme for the poor

President Uhuru Kenyatta, Labour Cabinet Secretary Kazungu Kambi and World Bank Country Director Diarietou Gaye during the launch of the Social Protection Conference Week at KICC, Nairobi, Tuesday. [PHOTO: PSCU]

NAIROBI: The Government will adopt biometric registration to secure the Sh13.6billion set aside for the disadvantaged under the Inua Jamii cash transfer programme as a model for other national projects supporting 25 million poor Kenyans.

President Uhuru Kenyatta revealed this Tuesday when he launched the Social Protection Conference Week at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi.

The four-day conference brings together various stakeholders, both local and international, in an effort to enhance synergy in social project delivery.

The meeting will come up with strategies for a National Action Plan to be implemented by all actors in the social protection sector in order to improve service delivery.

But even as Uhuru launched the conference, the Federation of Kenya Employers and the Central Organisation of Trade Unions lashed out at the organisers whom they said had deliberately sidelined them.

READ: Cotu: We were left out of President Uhuru’s social protection conference

Although popular, the cash transfer programme has been dogged by allegations of fraud and delays in paying identified beneficiaries, and the switch is meant to make it harder for unscrupulous individuals to dip into the funds.

The conference will also review measures taken to secure workers' retirement benefits and expand the number of those registered with the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), with the National Social Protection Policy taking centre stage. Uhuru said a Sessional Paper on the policy would go before Parliament soon.

The new registration will ensure that beneficiaries of the Inua Jamii programme use their fingerprints as their personal identification number to access the money through Kenya Commercial Bank. This is to weed out ghost beneficiaries reported to have been withdrawing funds from the kitty since its launch last year.

President Kenyatta said the biometric registration would significantly contribute to accountability and transparency in the implementation of the cash transfer programmes under the consolidated progamme.

"Consolidation of cash transfer services prevents duplication and protects the effectiveness and efficiency of these services. This is most prudent and humane and, therefore, this biometric registration will ensure funds are passed directly to the vulnerable groups for whom the funds have been set aside," he said.

The cash transfer programme gives money to the elderly, persons with disabilities, orphans and vulnerable children to be able to meet their basic needs.

ELIMINATE POVERTY

The number of beneficiaries has increased significantly from 226,839 in the 2012-2013 financial year to 480,000 currently.

More than 200,000 elderly people have received the monthly stipend since last year while the orphans and vulnerable children numbered 253,000. People living with severe disabilities, who also received money in the programme, stand at 27,000.

The programme is planned so that beneficiaries will receive a smart biometric card from KCB with their names, programme number and places of origin.

So far, 385,000 cards have been printed bearing beneficiaries' fingerprints and are to be disbursed starting next week. Of these, the elderly will get 196,000, orphans and vulnerable children 167,000 and persons living with disabilities 23,000.

Uhuru said more needs to be done to eliminate poverty, noting the Government's social protection measures still covered only a few people and growth and employment opportunities were not enough to eliminate poverty.

"Forty-six per cent of Kenyans live below the poverty line and 19 per cent in chronic poverty. This is wholly unacceptable. There is little dignity for the destitute. We must take care of the vulnerable in our society and that is why as Government we are doing everything we can to empower our people. There's little dignity for any nation that allows nearly half of its people to live in abject poverty," said Uhuru.

The Government has allocated Sh13.6 billion in the current financial year to support cash transfers to the elderly, persons living with disabilities and orphans and vulnerable children, and to finance the hunger safety net programme targeting vulnerable households in Turkana, Marsabit, Mandera and Wajir counties.

It is expected that by the end of this fiscal year, 521,000 households will have benefited from the programme.

The President said the universal health insurance coverage and equity in the provision of healthcare services were critical in eliminating extreme poverty and boosting prosperity.

DUPLICATE OPERATIONS

He directed the National Hospital Insurance Fund to work with other stakeholders to ensure that by the end of the year, at least 25 million Kenyans have health insurance.

"Kenya is proud of its impressive progress towards achieving the MDG (Millennium Development Goals) targets but we dare not rest. Instead, our progress should spur us to look beyond poverty and vulnerability and focus on attainment of good lives for every Kenyan," added Uhuru.

Labour Cabinet Secretary Kazungu Kambi asked the Government to increase funding to the social protection programmes to uplift the welfare of the most vulnerable, noting this would have a greater impact on the economy.

Budget allocations have increased over the years for the three groups under the programme, from Sh11 billion in 2012-2013 to Sh21 billion in the current financial year.

Mr Kambi praised the cash transfer programmes, saying its beneficiaries had been able to purchase basic needs and access basic medical care, and educate their children. They had also gained respect and improved dignity due to reduced dependency and improved food security in households among other impacts.

"One key challenge facing social protection implementers is the unco-ordinated nature of programmes, which has led to duplication of operations, diverse methodologies and inefficiency. However, we have addressed this through a consolidation strategy for the cash transfer programmes. If well implemented and co-ordinated, social protection can be a good tool for reducing poverty," said Kambi.