NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 15 – The government has significantly lowered the funds to protect the elderly, orphans and vulnerable children, disabled people, and other vulnerable groups by Sh1.3 billion according to the 2023/2024 budget.
Speaking during the budget reading on Thursday, Cabinet Secretary for National Treasury stated that the Kenyan government has set aside Sh38.2 billion to protect vulnerable groups.
This is a decrease compared to Sh39.5 billion which was allocated in the Financial Year 2022-23.
“Out of the budget allocation, sh18billion will cater for cash transfers to elderly persons, orphans and vulnerable children (Sh7.9 billion) and persons living with severe disabilities (Sh1.2 billion),” he said.
However, Ndung’u added that the government has allocated Sh245m to strengthen prevention and response to gender-based violence in Kenya.
He added that Sh3 billon has been allocated to Kenya Government Affirmative Action Fund.
“To further empower our women, I propose to the national assembly to effect the budget allocation of Sh.245 million to strengthen prevention and response to gender-based violence in Kenya, Sh.3 billion for the Kenya Gov’t Affirmative Action Fund,” he said.
He added that to promote equity, reduce poverty and embrace social development, the government has allocated Sh 53.5 billion for the National Constituency Development Fund as well as Sh10. 9 billion for the equalization fund to finance programs in previously marginalized areas.
President Ruto on April 4th announced that the government will start disbursing Inua Jamii social protection funds before the public servants’ salaries starting June 1, 2023.
President Ruto during the Kenya Social Protection Conference 2023 in Nairobi said that it is abhorrent to ignore poor persons since doing so undermines the country’s bottom-up approach to an economic transformation.
The disbursement, which had been approved by the Cabinet and the Treasury, would help to protect the fund’s beneficiaries.
“Older citizens, orphans and vulnerable children, as well as people living with extreme disability, have a right to receive support now, and it is grossly unjust to wait even one moment for any reason,” he said.
“That is why cabinet has now approved that from June 1 the social protection cash transfer money will be disbursed before salaries of public servants is disbursed.”
President Ruto stated that the consequences if the latter is not followed will result in the government being severely held accountable.
“I know for a very long time we have had the money being disbursed 3,4,5,6 and sometimes 7 months after they are due,” he stated.
“I think it will be the moral thing to do because if we don’t look after the vulnerable, we will be a society that will be judged very harshly.”
According to President Ruto, 16.1 per cent of Kenyans currently live below the poverty line as the number peaked during the covid pandemic, reaching 8.9 million people.
A total of 18.26 percent of Kenyan children under 5 are stunted hence undernutrition is depriving them of normal growth and development and robbing them of their full potential.
President Ruto called on relevant stakeholders and partners to join in this noble undertaking and hasten the progress to full social protection cover in Kenya.
