Government rolls out Mpesa payments for Inua Jamii beneficiaries

The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection has begun transferring data for all Inua Jamii beneficiaries to the e-Citizen platform, as part of efforts to streamline disbursement. 

Social Protection Principal Secretary Joseph Motari announced on Thursday, January 23, that the rollout, supported by telecommunications giant Safaricom, aims to ensure the system is ready for the January disbursement. 

Beneficiaries will now receive their payments via Mpesa by dialing the USSD code *222#.

“All beneficiaries must register Safaricom lines that match their ID cards and activate their Mpesa accounts to receive funds,” the Ministry stated.

For those who have already registered Safaricom lines, only Mpesa activation is required, and there is no need to purchase new lines for the program.

The initiative, the PS noted, will help the beneficiaries reduce the expenses incurred while traveling long distances to access the funds through banks. 

While acknowledging the possibility of the programme experiencing hitches at its initial stages as was witnessed in Murang'a and Marsabit counties that piloted it, he assured that the Ministry is prepared to address such challenges. 

"We are expecting to experience a few hitches for the first two months, but we will try to address them as we have done in the past," he stated.

The Inua Jamii program provides financial support to vulnerable groups, including the elderly, people with severe disabilities, orphans, and vulnerable children.