State pilots MPESA payment for Inua Jamii beneficiaries via e-Citizen platform
The department expects that once the new payment system is fully implemented, it will help reduce delays and improve the overall experience for the beneficiaries.
As part of a new pilot programme, the government has introduced an MPesa-based payment solution through the E-Citizen platform to deliver Sh3.5 billion in cash transfers to Inua Jamii beneficiaries.
This new payment method, which started on January 7, 2025, is being tested in Murang'a and Marsabit counties. It is planned for a nationwide rollout in the near future.
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The initiative as highlighted by Joseph Motari, Principal Secretary for the State Department for Social Protection and Senior Citizen Affairs will benefit 1,758,735 beneficiaries across the country, with each receiving Sh2,000 for the December 2024 cycle.
"The new system aims to provide a more efficient and effective way to deliver cash transfers through MPesa's extensive agent network," he said on Wednesday.
The Inua Jamii programme, designed to support vulnerable citizens by providing monthly stipends, is one of the government's key initiatives to reduce poverty and hunger.
This new payment aimed to improve the delivery of government services, making it easier and more efficient for beneficiaries to access their funds.
While the pilot programme is being implemented in Murang'a and Marsabit, beneficiaries in other counties will continue to receive their payments through the usual six contracted commercial banks.
The department expects that once the new payment system is fully implemented, it will help reduce delays and improve the beneficiaries' overall experience.
This push for digitising government services aligns with broader national efforts to modernise payment systems and ensure more secure and timely transfers to those in need.
This shift comes as the government restructures the Inua Jamii programme to remove deceased beneficiaries whose caregivers continue to collect the stipends without reporting their deaths.
Many beneficiaries, including the elderly who struggle to visit banks, have been waiting over a year for this mobile payment option.
The Inua Jamii cash transfer programme serves vulnerable groups including orphans, persons with severe disabilities, and older persons.
In January 2024, the government began enrolling Inua Jamii beneficiaries for digital payments through M-Pesa, starting with older persons.
The programme, which began in 2007 with just 300 recipients, now serves more than 1.2 million people, including 833,129 older persons above 70 years of age.
The shift to mobile transfers comes at a crucial time, as Kenya's ageing population continues to grow.
According to the 2019 Census, older people made up six per cent of the population or about 2.7 million individuals.
By 2050, this figure is expected to rise to 10.3 per cent.
