Pensheni Kwa Wote! Building the Social Protection Floor for Older Persons in Kenya
The 31st of March 2017 marked a great step forward for Kenya with the announcement of a social pension for all older persons. Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich – the Minister of Finance – presented the 2017/18 Budget to both Houses of Parliament which included measures to address poverty through social...
Zambia’s Katete Universal Pension
In “If you only have dust in your hands then friends are far; when they are full they come closer”: An Examination of the impacts of Zambia’s Katete universal pension,...
Commission on the Status of Women set to tackle social protection gender gap
The UN Commission on the Status of Women will this week meet to push for policy change to address the fact that social protection reaches fewer women across the globe. The 63rd session...
Anti-Social Registries: how a database excludes many from social protection
A craze sweeping the social protection world for Social Registries is systematically depriving some of the world’s poorest not only of social protection but also of access to vital services. So argues our...
Under threat: social protection that includes everybody in their old age?
October 1st is the International Day of Older Persons, this year about ensuring older people can fully contribute to society. It’s a day for everyone, since we all hope to reach old age and enjoy long and fruitful lives. And, of course, none of us want our last years destroyed...
Social protection in fragile contexts: the unique role of pensions
A couple of weeks ago I was fortunate to attend the international conference on Social Protection in contexts of fragility and forced displacement. One of the recurring messages emerging from the conference was that the ultimate ambition in these contexts should be long-term, nationally-owned social protection systems. I was able to...
Social pensions and their contribution to economic growth
A Ugandan Ministry of Gender, Labour & Social Development and the Expanding Social Protection programme report reviews evidence on how social pensions help expand local economies. It says that a number...
What is the impact of an inclusive pension? Evidence from Uganda
A new paper, presented at a workshop in Kampala, shows potentially very significant Rates of Return for Uganda’s Senior Citizens’ Grant. Depending on the specific assumptions, the SCG, which is an old age pension provided on a universal basis in selected districts, could pay for itself 1.4 times over within a...
Tackling exclusion, pensions progress, citizen action: a year in review
2017 has been a busy year for Development Pathways. We have redoubled our efforts to share the experience and knowledge we have gained working on building the strategies and systems needed to ensure evidence-led, inclusive programmes that realise human rights. Our most-read resources reflect the evidence we have provided on the...
Making smart use of technology: How electronic registration made Kenya’s universal pension possible
The Government of Kenya made a landmark decision in 2017 to provide a basic monthly pension income to its older citizens over the age of 70 years. The move represents a major step forward in the building of Kenya’s national social protection system. As the final preparations are made to...