The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection has clarified on Inua Jamii disbursement via mobile money following a misleading headline published on February 24, titled "Retirees Bear Brunt of Ruto MPESA Rule."
In a press release on February 24, the ministry stated that the article had claimed retirees were being locked out of the Inua Jamii programme due to a directive requiring all disbursements to be processed through mobile wallets.
“The Ministry of Social Protection, through the State Department for Social Protection and Senior Citizens Affairs, takes note of the misleading headline published by the newspaper on February 24, 2025, titled 'Retirees Bear Brunt of Ruto MPESA Rule.'
“The article claimed that retirees have been locked out of the Inua Jamii programme due to a directive requiring all disbursements to be processed through mobile wallets,” Principal Secretary for the State Department of Social Protection, Joseph Motari, stated.
The ministry clarified that the programme is a government-led cash transfer initiative that provides financial aid to people aged 70 years and above who are not beneficiaries of any government pension scheme and must have a Kenyan ID.
Other beneficiaries include eligible households with orphans, vulnerable children, and households caring for persons with disabilities.
Motari stated that the government has adopted M-PESA as the primary mode of disbursing funds under the programme to improve efficiency, accessibility, and security.
Beneficiaries are advised to register their SIM cards to activate their M-PESA accounts.
“Beneficiaries who do not have an active M-PESA line are encouraged to register at an M-PESA agent or Safaricom outlet. This eliminates the need for beneficiaries to travel long distances for SIM registration, as reported in the article,” the ministry added.
The ministry revealed that under the previous bank payment system, beneficiaries were required to visit bank branches and agents, which was expensive and inconvenient.
“The shift to mobile wallet disbursement ensures that beneficiaries can conveniently access their funds from the comfort of their homes or the nearest M-PESA agent, significantly improving service delivery,” the ministry added.
Labour CS Alfred Mutua stated on February 13 that the government disbursed Ksh 3.5 billion to Ksh 1.7 million households under the Inua Jamii Programme.
According to the ministry, all beneficiaries with a valid ID whether 7 or 8 digits are eligible to register telephone lines to receive the stipend.
