22nd March 2018: Development Pathways has set out priorities for Kenya’s social protection sector review, as the Government moves to increase investment in programmes.
Our Senior Social Policy Specialist Stephen Kidd and Senior Associate Matthew Greenslade presented at SP Conference on the review we are undertaking of Kenya’s social protection programmes. The presentation highlighted the nation’s strong achievements in building a social protection system over the last decade, as investment has increased, and with the majority of this funding coming from the Government of Kenya itself.
The number of households in receipt of social protection programmes rose in one decade from only 207,680 in 2007/08 to 1,022,772 in 2015/16, the presentation outlined. This will further increase with the 500,000 new recipients Inua Jamii 70+ older persons pension – with payments due to start within weeks – Development Pathways’ team added.
The presentation also pointed to priorities for action as the Government moves to further increase investment in social protection, with less than 1% of people with severe disabilities covered by schemes. It came the day after the Deputy President of Kenya committed at the conference to further increasing investment in social protection.
It also followed Cecilia Mbaka, Head of Kenya’s Social Protection Secretariat, pointed to evidence in new reports that Development Pathways worked on of the case for a universal child benefit, including a report on how social protection could better address child vulnerability.