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At least 700,000 elderly, orphans and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) will start receiving Sh2000 per month to cushion them from the vagaries of life.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection plans to sign Labour movement bilateral agreements to enable millions of jobless youths to get employment in some 15 countries globally.

Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Florence Bore told senators yesterday that ther ministry is registering some 500,000 new beneficiaries including the elderly, PWDs and orphans who will start earning their monthly stipend.

The cash transfer program is aimed at supporting the most vulnerable members of the community by providing them with a stipend to cushion them from poverty and hunger to improve their lives.
Orphans and vulnerable children, older persons and those with severe cases of disabilities are targeted in the program.

“We are registering 500,000 new beneficiaries including the elderly, PWD and Orphans. We have another 190,000 vacancies that have been left due to natural attrition that needs to be filled. This brings the total to 690,000 beneficiaries we are bringing on board,” said Bore.

While answering Senators questions on the floor of the House, Bore said that her Ministry is working with National Government Administrative Officers (NGAO), Chiefs, and County Commissioners across the 47 Counties to ensure that all the vulnerable persons are registered.

However, Marsabit Senator Mohamed Chute questioned the CS why the officials from the Ministry of Labour are asking the vulnerable groups to pay some money before they are registered, a move that the CS denied.

“We do not have enough staff and we have not asked anybody to provide fuel. We have staff in the 47 Counties ensuring that all persons under the vulnerable group category are registered. Our staff will then verify all the registered to bring on board people with severe disability for special consideration,” said Bore.

Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot (Kericho) questioned the progress that has been made in the signing of labour bilateral agreements.

“Kenya’s leading export is no longer tea and coffee and not even tourism but Kenyans remittance from those living abroad. We can secure millions of jobs through signing of bilateral labour agreements. What progress has been made to ensure that we export our labour market outside?” posed Cheruiyot.

In her response, CS Bore said that her Ministry had embarked on labour migration, adding that they already have clear directions to sign bilateral agreements in some 15 Countries.

“Am aware that more than five million youth are jobless. We have requested for the signing of the bilateral agreements and we should be able to start getting job orders,” said Bore.

According to the Cabinet Secretary, there is advanced progress with Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Austria and Germany to start allowing skilled laborers from Kenya.

Bore further said that the government has developed a career portal to support persons with disabilities access information on employment opportunities and connect with potential employers in both the Public and the Private Sector.

According to Bore, the NCPWD career portal is an artificial intelligence (AI) driven portal that matches registered job seekers with disabilities to employment opportunities matching their qualifications, skills and experience and alerts them through their mobile telephones or emails.

Currently, the portal has registered 5,849 persons with disabilities seeking employment and 431 employers consisting of 378 from the Public Sector, 31 from the private sector and 22 from civil society organisations.

“The government is finalising the development of the national policy for Persons with Disabilities to set out obligations by all employers in the public and private sectors in regard to the employment of persons with disabilities,” she said.

This was in response to nominated Senator George Mbugua (UDA) who had sought to know the measures taken by the government to ensure compliance with this legal provision in both the public and private sector.

During the launch of phase two registration of farmers and vulnerable groups, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua said that the government will expand the cash transfer programme, which has been in place since 2004 from the current 1.23 million to 1.73 beneficiaries across the country in a march towards their target of 2.5 million and beyond in phases.

In April 2023, during the Kenya Social Protection Conference, President William Ruto committed to extending the reach of the Inua Jamii Safety Net Programme from 1.23 million to 2.5 million beneficiaries.