Persons enlisted under the Inua Jamii cash transfer Programme will not need to register afresh, a government official has clarified.
Nyeri County Director of Children Services Joseph Mburu says those already benefiting from the cash transfer programme and who have registered M-Pesa lines have nothing to worry about but will now be receiving their money through their mobile phones.
Currently the government, through the Department for Social Protection and Senior Citizens, operates three cash transfer programmes: Persons with Severe Disabilities (PWSDs), Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC), and Older Persons (OP-CT).
“Persons benefiting under the three cash programmes will not have to walk for long distances to access their monthly disbursements as long as their lines have a registered M-Pesa line. One will only require to visit the nearest bank agent or an M-Pesa agent and be served as long as he has a registered line, “stated Mbugua while speaking to KNA.
A statement by the Principal Secretary in the State Department for Social Protection and Senior Citizen Affairs, Joseph Motari, dated January 23, 2025, announced the migration of all Inua Jamii beneficiaries to the E-citizen Mpesa payment platform.
Motari further stated that beneficiaries would, from January this year, be accessing their funds via M-Pesa agents by dialling USSD code *222#.
Those whose lines were already registered with Safaricom are also supposed to ensure their M-Pesa accounts are active, while those without an account can register at any M-Pesa agent near them.
“All beneficiaries are required to have already registered Safaricom lines that match with their ID card and will be required to activate their M-Pesa accounts to receive their funds,” read the press release.
“For further enquiries, Inua Jamii beneficiaries can visit County/Subcounty Social Development offices, County/Subcounty Children Services offices, County Disability Officer, or call the Inua Jamii Toll-Free line 1533.”
By July last year, there were at least 22,000 persons enlisted under the Inua Jamii program in Nyeri, according to data from the office of the Social Protection and Citizens Services.
A total of 17,000 of the beneficiaries were registered under the OP-CT, 4,000 under the OVC, while 1,300 are PWSDs.
In June last year, the State opened an Enhanced Single Register for all persons eligible for Government social assistance through the Consolidated Cash Transfer Programme Management Information System (CCTPMIS).
The preparation of an enhanced Single Register is a World Bank-funded programme whose objective is to enable the Government to have a common database for all persons who qualify for social protection owing to their individual special needs.
Under the CCTPMIS system, OVCs and PWSDs will receive their monthly stipends through their M-Pesa accounts, unlike in the past when such money was sent through individual bank accounts.
However, beneficiaries under the OP-CT programme will continue to receive their money through their respective bank accounts.
The State began disbursing funds for the Inua Jamii cash transfer programme on a monthly basis in 2023 to address perennial backlogs that had turned out to be a nightmare for the intended beneficiaries.
The move came at a time when beneficiaries of the social safety net had to wait for months before receiving the dues.
For one to access the Sh2,000 monthly stipend, he or she must have been registered through the CCTPMIS.
In addition, one must be in possession of an Inua Jamii payment card, national Identity Card and a caregiver national card every time he or she wants to make a withdrawal.
President Dr. William Ruto promised that his administration will be diligent in ensuring there is timely disbursement of the funds to enable the most vulnerable in life to enhance their quality of life.
The OPCT, PWSD-CT, and CT-OVC programmes were established in September 2013 to uplift the lives of the most vulnerable members of society in a bid to enable them to meet their most basic needs.
As of August last year, there were 1,215,343 beneficiaries under the OPCT programme, 428,421 under the CT-OVC, and 59,637 persons under the PWSD-CT.
Upon assuming office, President Ruto directed the number of beneficiaries to be scaled up to around 2.5 million to help cushion as many needy persons as possible under the three cash transfer programmes.
By Samuel Maina