NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 23 – Lawmakers are rallying behind the proposed Social Protection Bill, 2025, calling for a significant increase in cash transfer allocations to cushion the country’s most vulnerable populations from inflation and the soaring cost of living.
While expressing support for the bill’s broader scope, MPs have also flagged serious corruption and inefficiencies in the current system, demanding reforms that ensure the right people benefit.
The bill, sponsored by Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah, seeks to widen the social safety net to include individuals affected by extreme poverty and socio-economic shocks, such as pandemics or droughts.
Under the proposal, a Social Protection Board would be established to oversee eligibility and disbursements, while also providing an appeals mechanism for those excluded.
MPs across the political divide welcomed the bill but said more needed to be done, especially on increasing the Sh2,000 cash transfer amount that has remained unchanged for years.
Suna West MP Peter Masara criticized the stagnation of the support funds, pointing out that the amount has not reflected the country’s economic realities.
“In Kenya today, the vulnerable in society are benefitting, but at the time the programme started, they were being given Sh2,000. For some time now, the dollar has been at Sh160, but these people are still being given Sh2,000,” said Masara
Endebess MP Robert Pukose welcomed the bill’s provision to create a formal appeal process for those unfairly excluded from the cash transfer programme, noting that it would restore fairness and dignity for the elderly and other vulnerable groups.
“You find that among those who are elderly, there’s somebody who is 70 who is getting the money and there’s somebody who is 75 who is not getting the money, and they have no way of appeal. This Bill creates an appeals mechanism for people to be able to appeal to the board. It also creates a board that will be able to be disbursing those funds,” said Pukose
Concerns about corruption within the distribution process were raised by Samburu East MP Jackson Lekumontare, who described the extreme and degrading measures some citizens are subjected to in order to verify their identities and receive their rightful funds.
“There’s a lot of corruption even in this fund, that people are being told to give something so that you can get your money. And the government should have another way of identifying these people if the fingerprint fails, because people who have never taken alcohol are told to go and take alcohol so that their fingerprint can work,” remarked Lekumontare
North Imenti MP Rahim Dawood focused on the logistical challenges faced by beneficiaries, particularly the lack of decentralized access to the cash transfers, which he argued discourages and disenfranchises rural communities.
“There’s no transparency in the number of people who are getting this money. And we need to know how to devolve this process. They cannot be told that a whole constituency comes to one place to collect the money. We need this board to streamline how these people are going to get the money,” emphasized Dawood.
Nyatike MP Tom Odege highlighted the inconsistencies in beneficiary registration and called for automatic enrollment once individuals meet the eligibility criteria, to ensure fairness and eliminate favoritism.
“Another area of concern which I want us to be very clear about, is the criteria of enrolment. If you are in your constituency today, you’ll find people who are over 70 and are not benefitting and they are questioning why their neighbors are benefitting and they are not listed. If we come up with a very clear criteria where when you attain a certain age and you are vulnerable, you are automatically listed. It will bring equity and fairness,”stated Odege
Kwanza MP Ferdinand Wanyonyi took a hard stance on accountability, accusing officials of siphoning money meant for vulnerable citizens and urging the government to seal the loopholes enabling such theft.
“From my own observation, this money that has been given to cash transfers is part of corruption in this country. Money is not being transferred properly. That money sometimes never reaches the people it’s supposed to reach,”noted Wanyonyi
The Social Protection Bill, 2025, is currently in its second reading in Parliament. If passed, it will empower the proposed board to vet eligibility based on income, health, disability, and dependency levels, and provide aggrieved individuals with legal recourse through appeal mechanisms and the High Court.
