President William Ruto has announced plans by the government to include MPESA as a platform to distribute the Inua Jamii stipend for the elderly citizens and other beneficiaries.
In his speech, Ruto said that despite the success realized in rolling out the fund, beneficiaries- most of them aged- had to travel long distances to receive their stipends in banks.
As such, the government engaged Safaricom to come up with a new delivery mechanism that would see beneficiaries receive their stipends from MPESA agents in their localities.
According to the President, orphans and persons with severe disability will begin using this new mechanism beginning this month.
However, the elderly would wait until January 2024 for the government to start sending their stipends via MPESA.
“We commend Safaricom for providing this service free of charge,” Ruto announced.
Also Read: Govt Releases Sh16.7b for Inua Jamii Programme
In his speech, the President underscored his government’s commitment to sustaining the stipends, stating that the elderly, orphans and PWDs receive their social protection stipends before all public servants.
According to him, the over 1 million eligible beneficiaries now receive their stipend on time.
Additionally, Ruto said that the government had allocated an additional Ksh2 billion for newly enrolled beneficiaries who were undergoing verification.
More Inua Jamii to Receive Stipends in 2024
The new lot of beneficiaries, Ruto said, will begin to receive their stipends beginning March 2024.
Similarly, the President announced that the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) was working to improve its efficiency in disbursing retirement benefits for retirees.
He noted that digitization in the system had helped to simplify the system of processing funds and hence saving the retirees from the long waits.
“Furthermore, our countrymen and women no longer have to wait for over three months to receive their retirement benefits,” he said.
“Owing to digitization and automation, NSSF benefit processing turnaround time has improved significantly, from an average of 82 days to 10 days with further reduction in the processing period to within a day in the next one year,” he added.
Also Read: Uproar After Death of 72-Year-Old Man in Inua Jamii Registration Queue
The announcements were part of the long list of government’s achievements listed by the President in his Jamhuri Day speech.
In his speech, Ruto rallied Kenyans to take an active role in steering the nation towards development.
He further emphasized his government’s commitment and resolve to create jobs through the Affordable Housing Plan for youth in the country.
