Deceased beneficiaries still receiving payments - EACC audit report

An audit conducted by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has uncovered irregularities in Kenya's Older Persons Cash Transfer Programme.

The report reveals that cash transfers have been made to deceased persons and pensioners at the expense of more deserving cases.

In the audit conducted between April 5 and May 22, 2024, the EACC criticised the absence of a proper system to distinguish pensioners among the current and eligible beneficiaries, warning that the loophole could prevent genuinely deserving elderly individuals from receiving aid.

“In some instances, withdrawals were made from the accounts of deceased beneficiaries nearly three years after death,” the Anti-corruption Commission said.

It was also noted that there were significant delays in exiting deceased beneficiaries from the programme.

The report, presented to the Ministry of Social Protection, aimed at uncovering weaknesses in the system that could be exploited for corruption.

It also sought to close gaps leading to unethical practices in the programme's administration.

The review took the form of formal and informal interviews, content analysis of various documents used in the cash transfer programme, policy analysis, Operations Manual (OM), and other accountable documents. The officers also visited the sampled beneficiaries in selected counties.

Principal Secretary for the State Department for Social Protection, Joseph Motari, welcomed the audit's findings, noting that some of the issues raised had already been highlighted by the department’s external auditors. He added that steps were being taken to resolve them.

“We will use this report as a working tool for the department,” Motari said, urging staff to familiarise themselves with the report's recommendations.

On September 5, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection released a total of Sh3.4 billion for the August 2024 payments under the Inua Jamii programme.

PS Motari said the August payroll included Sh1,215,343 beneficiaries in the Older Persons Cash Transfer Programme (OPCT), Sh428,421 in the Cash Transfer Programme to Orphans and Vulnerable Children (CTOVC), and Sh59,637 in the Persons with Severe Disabilities Cash Transfer Programme (PWSD-CT).

He noted that the total number of beneficiaries had risen to 1,703,401, an increase from 1,681,623 in July 2024.

The Inua Jamii initiative covers multiple categories, including Cash Transfers for Orphans and Vulnerable Children, Older Persons Cash Transfer, Persons with Severe Disabilities Cash Transfer, and the Hunger Safety Net Programme.

In 2023, President William Ruto directed the ministry to expand the programme to reach 2.5 million beneficiaries in phases. He also ordered that the funds for the programme be released by the 15th of every month, committing to ensuring timely disbursement of the funds.