The government has finally released Sh16.7 billion meant for more than a million beneficiaries under the Inua Jamii programme to cushion vulnerable households, after an eight-month delay.
At the same time, Deputy President, Rigathi Gachagua has assured Kenyans the delay will not be witnessed again after the Cabinet approved a Memorandum directing the National Treasury to ensure the cash is released by June 1.
The current payments, he pointed out, will be made in two tranches in June and July 2023 being payment for four cycles. He made the announcement yesterday at his official Karen residence.
According to Gachagua, the payments set to be rolled out on Wednesday next week, cover November last year to June this year, respectively.
“The Kenya Kwanza Administration remains committed to supporting the most vulnerable members in the society, who deserve to live a dignified life,” he stated, noting that the government will continue implementing the Cash Transfer programme to improve the livelihoods of the most vulnerable members of the Kenyan society.
Gachagua said the Government is also finalising the Social Assistance Bill, 2023 to provide a legal framework for the establishment of the Social Assistance Fund to facilitate the expansion of the number of beneficiaries from the current 1.2 million to 2.5 million in the next two years.
“The Inua Jamii programme provides bi-monthly stipends to cushion beneficiaries from poverty and other vulnerabilities,” he said.
The DP said an additional Sh11.1 billion will be paid as a top-up for beneficiaries under the Nutrition Improvement Through Cash and Health Education (NICHE), a complementary programme next month.
“The funds will be credited to the accounts of 1,072,226 Inua Jamii beneficiaries, where each beneficiary will receive Sh16,000,” the DP added.
This programme brings together three cash transfer programmes including; cash transfer to Orphans and vulnerable children; older persons’ cash transfer programme; and persons with severe disabilities cash transfer.
The NICHE project combines social protection, nutrition, and child protection aspects in programming, Gachagua noted.
The project which kicked off in 2004 with a pilot covering an initial 500 households is being implemented in five Arid and Semi–Arid Land (ASAL) counties of Kitui, Kilifi, Marsabit, Turkana and West Pokot.

Supporting households
“The NICHE targets Inua Jamii and Hunger Safety Net Programme households with children between 0-36 months and pregnant mothers,” Gachagua said.
So far, the project is supporting a total of 8,656 households. Each NICHE beneficiary will receive Sh4, 000 as a top to the regular cash transfer.
The payment is restricted to six Government contracted banks. The banks include; Cooperative Bank; Equity Bank Ltd, Kenya Commercial Bank, Kenya Women Microfinance Bank, National Bank of Kenya; and Postbank.
“In line with the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) the Government is undertaking various strategies to revamp the cash transfer programmes for elderly and vulnerable households to improve operational efficiency, accountability and coverage,” he explained.
The programme suffered a cash slash predicament in the recent budget allocations dropping by Sh1.2 billion from the last Financial Year’s Sh39.5 billion to Sh38.2 billion this year.
While reading the 2023-24 budget on Thursday, Treasury CS Njuguna Ndung’u said that out of the allocation, Sh18 billion will cater for cash transfers to elderly persons, orphans and vulnerable children