A parliamentary committee has instructed the government to ensure continuous and timely registration of elderly persons under the older persons cash transfer programme.
The directive from the Committee on Implementation came even as the State Department Social Protection and Senior Citizen Affairs raised concerns over funding constraints.
The department said it is strained after Parliament declined to increase its allocation in the recently approved Supplementary Estimates II for the 2024-25 financial year.
The committee, chaired by Budalangi MP Raphael Wanjala, met with officials from the state department, led by Principal Secretary Joseph Motari, to assess progress on implementing a House resolution on the matter.
Wanjala told Motari during the meeting that despite the budget shortfall, registration must proceed as Parliament had resolved.
"Bwana PS, this is the Committee on Implementation. Our mandate is to ensure House resolutions are executed. I direct that you commence registration immediately. We will then invite you and the National Treasury in four weeks to review the situation," he said.
The resolution the MP cited followed the adoption of a motion by Kilome legislator Thaddeus Nzambia, which sought uninterrupted registration of elderly beneficiaries.
MPs resolved that the eligible age of beneficiaries be reduced from the current 70 years to 65 years, saying many households are facing tough economic times.
"Chair, the existing programme guidelines stipulate that beneficiaries must be 70 years or older, not 65," Motari clarified.
Lawmakers countered that, given Kenya’s life expectancy of approximately 66 years, it would be reasonable to lower the eligibility age to 65.
The PS further explained that even if the age was adjusted, budgetary limitations would prevent full coverage of potential beneficiaries.
"Funding remains a challenge. The President has directed that cash transfers be prioritised even before salaries, but due to budget constraints, we are only processing disbursements today under Article 223 provisions since there is no allocated budget," Motari said.
President William Ruto recently called for inclusion of more elderly persons in the cash transfer programme.
Committee members Komingoi Kibet (Bureti) and Mark Mwenje (Embakasi West) questioned whether the department had a system to replace dead beneficiaries.
They also inquired about cases involving individuals without proper identification documents.
Motari said, with World Bank support, the department had developed an enhanced single registry to ensure seamless replacement of beneficiaries.
Mombasa MP Zamzam Mohammed and Trans Nzoia’s Lilian Siyoi raised concerns about elderly and disabled persons facing registration barriers due to mobility challenges.
They urged the department to conduct home visits for inclusive enrollment.
"Many persons with disability have been excluded for not meeting arbitrary severity thresholds—a discriminatory practice," Siyoi said.
Motari acknowledged the issue but pointed to the recently passed Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2023, sponsored by Senator Crystal Asige, which would eliminate such barriers once enacted.
Currently, the programme supports about 1.2 million people nationwide but recent audits have cast doubt on the validity of some of the payouts.
Audits have revealed how the programme is riddled with ghost beneficiaries, including payments to the deceased.
Auditor General Nancy Gathungu in a review of the fund’s accounts for the year ending June 30, 2024, flagged the breaches as illegal.
The current administration has proposed a law that is believed would help clean up the mess at the Inua Jamii cash transfer programme.
Among proposals in the tough law is to allow the government to seize assets from those who defraud the social protection kitty.
The Social Protection Bill, 2025, sponsored by Majority leader Kimani Ichung’wah, provides for a recovery from beneficiaries who receive excess amounts.
If deceased, their estate will repay the money, or deductions would be made from future payments.
“Their estate shall refund the money, or the excess amount of money paid shall be deducted from the subsequent payment made to the beneficiary,” the Bill read
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