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The government has disbursed Sh2.09 billion (about $13.3 million) in order to cushion low-income households amid rising cost of living.

According to Florence Bore, the cabinet secretary in the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, some 1.04 million needy and vulnerable households will receive the financial assistance in order to cater for their needs for one month.

“The cash transfer initiative supports the most vulnerable members of the community by providing them with a stipend to cushion them from poverty and hunger, and improve their lives,” Bore said in a statement released in Nairobi.

Bore noted that the beneficiaries will receive the funds through mobile money platforms to increase convenience for the recipients.

She said the recipients includes households with orphaned and vulnerable children, persons with severe disabilities as well as older persons.

High cost of living

The majority of Kenyans have said that living standards deteriorated in 2023 as compared to 2022, a poll by research firm TIFA shows.

“The survey results underscore a widespread perception among Kenyans, with a substantial majority of 87 per cent indicating that the cost of living escalated in 2023. This perception aligns with reality, evident in the noticeable price rise for essential household items, electricity, fuel, and more,” says TIFA.

The ministry has also released another $37,725 to boost the nutrition of needy households in the country.
Kenya’s inflation slowed slightly to 6.6 per cent year on year in December, down from 6.8 per cent in November, remaining within the central bank’s preferred range of 2.5 to 7.5 per cent, the statistics office said on Friday.