Kajiado: Kajiado residents numbering 19,087 who are beneficiaries of the Inua Jamii programme have been transferred to the e-citizen platform according to Kajiado Director of Social Services Jimmy Njau. Speaking to the Kenya News Agency in his office in Kajiado, Njau said that the beneficiaries who include older persons over 70 years, orphans and vulnerable children, and persons with severe disabilities have all migrated to the e-citizen platform as directed by the President.
According to Kenya News Agency, the Social Services director lauded the National Government Administration Officers (NGAO), especially chiefs, for disseminating the information to the beneficiaries, adding that they have played a major role in ensuring a 100 per cent transition. Njau said that the elderly specifically are thankful for the migration, adding that they are now able to access the stipends at their doorstep as M-Pesa agents are all over, unlike before when they had to travel long distances to access the funds at banking institutions.
He revealed that most of them previously complained that the funds were not helping them much since they incurred costs of transport to and from the banks, which were located miles away, making them incur overhead expenses of up to Sh1,000. The director, however, remarked that they faced various challenges during the transition. 'Most of the elderly had abandoned Sim cards which Safaricom reallocated to other people but their Identity cards showed that the lines belonged to the elderly. We resolved this by having them buy new sim cards which they will use to receive the funds,' said Njau.
He added that in some cases, there was a mismatch between the Sim cards and the Identity card provided and they had to advise the beneficiaries to buy another line. On March 10th, the State Department for Social Protection and Citizens Affairs released Sh3.5 billion for payment of cash transfer to 1,761,897 beneficiaries in the Inua Jamii Programme for the February 2025 cycle. Inua Jamii beneficiaries who still do not have registered phone numbers are advised to visit any Safaricom or M-Pesa agents countrywide to register a line that will enable them to access their stipends.