A section of elderly who attended a meeting with consultants from World bank and the beneficiaries. Photo/VictorWaswa
The national government plans to increase beneficiaries of the cash transfer program to 1.3M Kenyans by January next near. According to the statistics from the department of Social Protection in the Ministry of Labour, the figures will be an increase from the current 710, 000 elderly Kenyans who are already on the payroll across the country.
This emerged when senior government officials held a meeting with consultants from the World Bank and beneficiaries of the program in Naivasha.
According to the Departments Assistant Director Nicholas Mac'Botongore, the addition will see the government pump another Ksh 6.5B to the current Ksh 18b to cater for the programme.
"We currently have 350,000 orphans and vulnerable people, 310,000 older persons, 47,000 those living with disability and we hope to enlist a further 500,000 in the program,"Said Mac’Botongore.
He further said the government had approved a budget of Ksh 25B for the entire program adding this would include the hunger stricken counties of the former North Eastern Province.
"We were previously dealing with those above 65 years under the cash transfer program and the addition has included the Inua Jamii model introduced lately by government,". he added.
Nakuru county director of Social Protection Aganes Oriri said close to 9,000 elderly persons are already on the program in the vast county. "In Naivasha alone, 900 older persons have been enrolled and a further 130 of those living with disabilities being under the program," she said.
Naivasha Assistant County Commissioner said they are working closely to ensure that deserving cases are given the priority.
One of the beneficiaries Ann Munene praised the initiative saying that majority of those vulnerable and orphans had gone back to school.
"Under the program, care givers can comfortably take good care of the children left under them while concentrating on other issues".