Social protection gets Sh27b boost in 2020/21 budget
Bernard Gitau @benagitau
National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani yesterday set a side Sh27 billion for the Inua Jamii Programme in the 2020/21 budget.
The programme covers senior citizens, orphans and vulnerable children and persons living with severe disabilities.
Senior citizens above the age of 70 will receive the biggest share of the proposed fund with Sh17.6 billion going towards their upkeep.
“The proposed funds shows a government that cares for the vulnerable members of the community,” Yatani said.
With Sh17.6 billion going to cash transfer to for the elderly, Sh7.9 billion will go to orphans and vulnerable children kitty and Sh1.1 billion to persons with severe disabilities.
Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Simon Chelugui, under Inua Jamii has said there are a total of 766, 254 elderly beneficiaries, 293,967 orphans and vulnerable children 34,017 Persons with severe disability.
“Since the programme started in 2004, the government has cumulatively invested Sh151.6 billion benefitting 1.2 million beneficiaries from initial 500,” Chelugui said on June 10 during the official launch of Street Families census.
The increased funding for the Inua Jamii Programme comes amid various government measures to cushion the vulnerable members of the community with adverse effects of Covid-19.
Initially, beneficiaries of Inua Jamiii Cash Transfer programme received Sh 2,000 monthly, but the amount is expected to increase to Sh 8,000.
Yatani said Sh4.3 billion would go towards the Kenya Hunger Safety Net Programme and Sh2.5 billion to the Kenya Social and Economic Inclusion Project.
Kenya has experienced prolonged rainfall causing deaths and destruction of crops and property and also the desert locusts’ invasion in at least 20 counties
Desert locusts, according to Food and Agriculture Organisation, have affected 173,000 acres where 1.3 million people face hunger.
Yatani also set aside Sh3.5 billion for Kenya development response for the displacement impact project.
The Council for Persons with Disability received Sh400 million and an additional Sh720 million for purchase of brailles.
The Inua Jamii Programme was launched in 2015 by President Uhuru Kenyatta as one of the channels the Used by the State to tackle poverty in the country and catering for the under-privileged in society and boosting economic growth.
