Govt disburses Ksh3.5B for Inua Jamii program
By Nancy Marende, June 7, 2025The government has disbursed Ksh3.5 billion to cover the Inua Jamii Program for the May 2025 cycle.
In a statement on Saturday, June 7, 2025, the State Department for Social Protection and Citizen Affairs Principal Secretary Joseph Motari stated that each beneficiary will receive Ksh2,000.
“The Ministry of Social Protection, through the State Department for Social Protection and Senior Citizens Affairs, has released Ksh3,519,312,000 for payment to 1,759,656 beneficiaries enrolled in the Inua Jamii Program,” the statement read.
Further, he stated that the Inua Jamii Cash Transfer Programme aims to alleviate poverty and promote the well-being of society’s most vulnerable members, including older persons aged 70 and above, orphans and vulnerable children and persons living with severe disability.
The government extended the deadline for Inua Jamii cash transfer beneficiaries, granting them an additional five days to withdraw any uncollected funds.
Principal Secretary for Social Protection and Senior Citizen Affairs Joseph Motari, on March 12, 2025, warned that the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection would reclaim any unclaimed money after the deadline.
Inua Jamii payments
The directive followed the government’s transition of Inua Jamii payments from banks to the e-Citizen mobile payment platform in January 2025, allowing beneficiaries to receive stipends directly via M-Pesa.
“Those who have not claimed their Inua Jamii funds have five more days to do so. If they do not claim by the 15th of this month, we will assume that the person does not exist,” Motari stated during an interview at a local TV station.
Motari revealed that the Kenya Kwanza administration had streamlined the program after uncovering significant irregularities.
A probe by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) found that payments were being made to 194,000 deceased beneficiaries.
The government has since removed them from the system and cleared Ksh16.7 billion in arrears in two phases.
“With support from the president, I submitted a cabinet memo that was approved for monthly payments, and this is the system we have been following to date,” he said.
Motari assured senior citizens who have yet to transition to M-Pesa payments that their funds will remain secure for the next three months.
“It has been two months since we moved the cash transfer payments to M-Pesa. Senior citizens should not panic. Their money is secure. They just need to register, and they will receive all their funds,” he said.
He dismissed claims that elderly citizens with seven-digit ID numbers are facing challenges enrolling in the program, asserting that no one has been denied payments due to their ID format.
“My team is on the ground investigating the issue. I urge those facing challenges to visit the nearest M-Pesa agent for assistance,” he said.
Describing the social protection program as a “superhero” initiative, Motari emphasised its sustainability and positive impact, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions.