NAIROBI, KENYA — The Government of Kenya has announced that all Inua Jamii beneficiaries will begin receiving their payments through the eCitizen M-Pesa platform starting with the January 2025 disbursement.
On Thursday, Joseph Motari, the Principal Secretary for Social Protection and Senior Citizen Affairs, confirmed that recipients will be able to access their funds through M-Pesa agents by dialing the USSD code *222#.
This transition is part of a partnership between the government’s online service portal, eCitizen, and Safaricom, the parent company of M-Pesa.
“All beneficiaries are required to have registered Safaricom lines that match with their ID card and will be required to activate their M-pesa accounts to receive their funds,” Motari said.
The PS explained that existing Safaricom customers only need to ensure their M-Pesa accounts are active. For those without an M-Pesa account, they are advised to register for the mobile money service to access the payments.
“For further enquiries, Inua Jamii beneficiaries can visit County/Sub-county Social Development offices, County/Sub-county Children Services offices, County Disability Offices, or call Inua Jamii Toll Free line 1533,” added Motari.
The Inua Jamii program provides monthly stipends to over 1.7 million vulnerable individuals, including orphans, vulnerable children, seniors over 70 years old, and people with severe disabilities, to help alleviate poverty and hunger.
President William Ruto previously highlighted that the move to the M-Pesa payment system would spare beneficiaries the burden of traveling long distances to collect their payments, saving them from related costs and inconveniences.
Initially, only orphans and caregivers of individuals with severe disabilities received their payments via M-Pesa, while elderly beneficiaries had to visit banks each month to collect their stipends.
In the latest disbursement, the government allocated Ksh.3.517 billion, with each of the 1,758,735 beneficiaries receiving Ksh.2,000.
