Kenya, July 30 -- Older people in Bomet and Kericho Counties are feeling very upset because they have not received their Inua Jamii funds for June on time. They say that problems with the payment distribution are making life very hard for them.

The elderly beneficiaries are asking the government to ensure that they receive their financial help on time. Many of them mentioned that the last payment they got was in June for the month of May, and they have been waiting a long time since then.

One beneficiary said, "We used to get our payments on time after the government started using Mpesa, but now it is late."

An official from the Social Services office in Bomet County, who wants to stay anonymous, shared that many beneficiaries are visiting the offices in their local areas to ask about when the government will send their funds.

The official admitted that the delays are not just happening in Bomet County but are a problem across the country.

"We know there is a delay, and we realize that paying all the beneficiaries in the country takes time," she explained. She also pointed out that the government's social fund has really helped many poor families by allowing them to buy food and other basic needs.

In 2023, President Ruto told the then-Minister of Labour and Social Protection, Florence Bore, to add 500,000 more beneficiaries to the program, showing that the government wants to help reduce poverty and improve the lives of vulnerable people.

According to the government, the budget for cash transfers to elderly people will go up by 15 billion shillings over the next three years, reaching 45 billion shillings by June 2027.

The number of elderly beneficiaries is expected to increase from 1.25 million in June 2024 to 1.89 million by mid-2027, with an extra 638,386 elderly Kenyans expected to be added.

From the 2021/22 to the 2023/24 fiscal years, the government has improved the elderly cash transfer program, growing the number of beneficiaries from 756,935 to 1.25 million, which is a 65 percent increase over three years.

Even though the program is growing, there are still worries about money being available to continue the payments, which raises concerns about the future of the program and the well-being of millions of Kenyans who depend on this support for their daily survival.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Bana Kenya.