The government has announced that starting with the January 2025 disbursement, all Inua Jamii beneficiaries will transition to receiving their payments through the eCitizen M-Pesa platform.
On Thursday, Social Protection and Senior Citizen Affairs Principal Secretary Joseph Motari shared that beneficiaries will be able to access their funds via M-Pesa agents by dialing the USSD code *222#. This new payment method is part of a partnership between eCitizen, the government's online portal for state services, and Safaricom, M-Pesa’s parent company.
Motari explained that all beneficiaries are required to have Safaricom lines registered in their names and matching their ID cards. They will also need to activate their M-Pesa accounts in order to receive their payments. Current Safaricom customers only need to ensure their M-Pesa accounts are active, while those without M-Pesa are encouraged to register for the service.
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For any inquiries, Inua Jamii beneficiaries can visit their local County/Sub-county Social Development offices, Children Services offices, Disability Offices, or contact the Inua Jamii Toll-Free Line at 1533.
The Inua Jamii program supports over 1.7 million orphans, vulnerable children, elderly citizens aged 70 and above, and individuals with severe disabilities, providing them with monthly stipends to help alleviate poverty and hunger.
President William Ruto had previously explained that the shift to M-Pesa would spare beneficiaries from the burden of traveling long distances to collect their cash, saving them time and travel expenses. Initially, only orphans and caregivers of persons with severe disabilities received payments via M-Pesa, while the elderly continued to visit banks to collect their stipends.
In the last disbursement, the government released Ksh. 3.517 billion, ensuring that each of the 1,758,735 beneficiaries received Ksh. 2,000.
