Nyeri – Approximately 26,000 individuals who applied for the Inua Jamii scale-up program last year in Nyeri will have to wait longer before being enrolled to receive the Sh2,000 monthly stipend.
According to Kenya News Agency, Kung’u Mwaniki, only those currently registered in the Government Consolidated Cash Transfer Program Management Information System (CCTPMIS) will receive the December disbursement, as announced by Labor and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Florence Bore. Mwaniki assured that new applicants would be notified soon once the State completes processing all applications.
Mwaniki explained that while payments for those in the existing database are ongoing, those who applied last year are still awaiting confirmation of their application status. Nyeri registered 26,606 new applicants by the end of last year, exceeding the initial target of 3,952 beneficiaries for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) and Persons with Severe Disabilities (PWSDs).
The government’s nationwide registration exercise, which began on September 1 last year, aimed to expand the scope of needy individuals receiving state social security support. The registration was extended to accommodate more deserving cases, targeting 500,000 OVC and PWSDs.
CS Bore announced that 1,044,922 beneficiaries nationwide are expected to benefit from the Sh2.08 billion released for the Inua Jamii program. The stipends for OVCs and PWSDs will now be disbursed through Mpesa accounts, while beneficiaries under the Older Persons Cash Transfer (OP-CT) program will continue receiving funds through bank accounts.
Mwaniki highlighted that the disbursement would assist families caring for orphans and vulnerable children, especially with schools reopening next week. The State began monthly disbursements last year to address backlogs and ensure timely support for beneficiaries.
By early August last year, Sh2.8 billion was disbursed for July, with an additional Sh4.3 million for the Nutrition Improvement through Cash and Health Education (NICHE) program. In Nyeri, the state was set to disburse Sh2,000 each to 4,800 households through the CT-OVC and a similar amount to 17,000 elderly persons under the Older Persons program for the same month.
Beneficiaries must be registered through CCTPMIS and possess an Inua Jamii payment card, a national ID, and a caregiver identification card to access the stipend. They can choose from six banks as their payment service provider.
President William Ruto has committed to ensuring timely fund disbursements to improve the lives of vulnerable society members. The OPCT, PWSD-CT, and CT-OVC programs, established in September 2013, are part of the National Safety Net Programme (NSNP), covering 1.2 million households.
