Thousands of families from Kenya's minority and marginalized communities will finally access cash transfer programmes following a directive by President William Ruto.
Speaking during International Minorities Day celebrations at State House, Nairobi, on Thursday, December 18, 2025, the president ordered State Department for Social Protection to urgently register and enroll eligible families from these communities into existing cash transfer programmes.
"The State Department for Social Protection shall urgently register and enroll all eligible families from minority and marginalized communities into existing cash transfer programs to strengthen household resilience and dignity," President Ruto said.
The move targets communities including the Ogiek, Sengwer, Yaaku, and other hunter-gatherers who have faced land loss and cultural erosion.
Coastal communities like the Arabs and Pemba, as well as pastoralists such as the Somalis, Maasai, and Samburu in arid regions, will also benefit.
Kenya's marginalized communities include hunter-gatherers like the Ogiek, Sengwer, Yaaku, Sanye, Waata, Dorobo, Elmolo, and Malakote, who have experienced significant land loss.
Linguistic minorities such as the Suba and Terik, facing language endangerment, are also covered, alongside coastal communities including Arabs and the Pemba, who have struggled with statelessness.
These communities have historically dealt with poverty, limited access to basic services, political exclusion, land disputes, and forced evictions.
The President also announced the establishment of a Ksh 500 million National Minority Scholarship Programme aimed at supporting children from indigent families in marginalised communities to access secondary and tertiary education.
The government will also pay Social Health Authority contributions for 200,000 vulnerable individuals from these communities.
He further directed that Ksh 200 million be set aside annually as an Education Infrastructure Fund to construct and upgrade schools in marginalized areas.
The President concluded by highlighting that the Minority and Marginalized Affairs Unit within the Office of the President has been elevated into a semi-autonomous agency.
"The Minorities and Marginalized Communities Directorate shall immediately establish within the Executive Office of the President be there to coordinate, implement all the interventions across government," he added.
He concluded by affirming that Cabinet Secretaries and Principal Secretaries have been ordered to integrate the policy into their 2026-2027 budget estimates.
