Ministry readies to rollout money for elderly project
Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani addresses the Kenya Social Protection Conference media launch at the Kenya School of Monetary Studies, Nairobi, on March 14, 2018. The government will give elderly people stipend. PHOTO | ANDREW KILONZI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- The senior citizens applied for inclusion into the programme last August in the heat of the electioneering period.
- The ministry is expected to outline the payment plans during a four-day National Social Protection Conference.
More than 500,000 people aged 70 and above will from Tuesday know when they will start receiving their monthly stipend.
Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani is expected to outline the plan for the Inua Jamii 70+, whose Sh2,000 monthly stipend will be disbursed to all the applicants.
The senior citizens applied for inclusion into the programme last August in the heat of the electioneering period.
The ministry is expected to outline the payment plans during a four-day National Social Protection Conference, which starts at the Kenya School of Monetary Studies on Monday.
HEALTH COVER
More than 500 local and international social protection participants are expected to attend.
Speaking ahead of the forum, Mr Yatani said payments to the elderly citizens would happen “in the next few weeks”
He said about 53,000 new applicants were expected to benefit from the programme.
“A programme for health cover will also be extended to the beneficiaries in the same age bracket through the National Hospital Insurance Fund,” he added.
POVERTY
The government allocated Sh6.5 billion for the enhanced older citizens’ programme.
President Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to open the conference.
One of the key issues will be deliberations on the cash transfer programmes meant to cushion the poor and vulnerable from the effects of poverty.
Social Protection Principal Secretary Susan Mochache said the conference would subject the programmes to debate and provide suggestions to better administer them.
