State links Inua Jamii system with civil records

The government is integrating the Inua Jamii cash transfer programme database with civil registration records to eliminate ghost beneficiaries and stop payments to deceased individuals, following revelations that funds continued being disbursed to people who died long ago.
The State Department for Social Protection confirmed on July 14, 2025, that plans are underway to merge the Inua Jamii system with the Civil Registration Services (CRS) database to prevent further misuse of public funds.
“Going forward, the state department has planned to integrate the CCTP-MIS (Consolidated Cash Transfer Programme Management Information System) with the CRS database to automatically identify deceased beneficiaries.” The integration will allow the system to flag and exit deceased elderly beneficiaries.
Inua Jamii currently supports 1.76 million vulnerable Kenyans – including poor households, orphans, and persons with disabilities – through monthly cash transfers.
The government allocated Ksh47.8 billion to the scheme in the financial year ending June.
However, a past audit raised concerns over payments to deceased beneficiaries, prompting MPs to recommend physical headcounts every two months to verify recipients’ existence.
Auditor General Nancy Gathungu noted that the State Department for Social Protection had admitted to system loopholes resulting in continued payments to dead persons.
The department said corrective measures were underway, explaining that beneficiaries whose funds had been clawed back hadn’t been exited because the payment module was undergoing enhancement.
“It is true that beneficiaries whose funds had been clawed back have not been exited, and the reason for this is that the payment module under the CCTP-MIS has been undergoing enhancement to provide automatic service of exiting households of beneficiaries,” the department said.
Holding accounts
Funds are typically transferred to holding accounts at six contracted banks for direct disbursement, but sometimes mix with unutilised balances from previous cycles, including amounts from failed credit attempts and clawbacks.
Failed credit attempts are usually reloaded into beneficiaries’ accounts in the next payment cycle, but if accounts become inactive, money returns to the National Treasury.
The department also revealed that payment system strengthening efforts were prompted by cases where caregivers of persons with disabilities and vulnerable children reappeared to claim funds after caregiver arrangement changes.