MP Flags Inconsistencies in Inua Jamii Payments

Githunguri Member of Parliament Gathoni Wamuchomba has flagged inconsistencies in the payments of Inua Jamii funds to the elderly and the vulnerable.
Taking to social media on Monday, August 25, the MP claimed that several beneficiaries from her constituency had yet to receive the funds, since the payment systemchanged from bank deposits to mobile money.
According to Wamuchomba, the victims had been receiving the Ksh2,000 monthly stipend before the switch happened, claiming that the switch had overshadowed accountability.
“This government is now famous for depriving the sick, the disabled, the youths and now the elderly!” Wamuchomba claimed.
“The Inua Jamii stipends were allegedly sent via mobile money last week to our elderly and vulnerable people, and most didn’t receive them, yet they were receiving them previously.”
She further claimed that she had a list of individuals from her constituency who had not received the funds to confirm the assertion.
“Depriving such needy groups is subscribing to a curse as a nation,” she insisted.
Wamuchomba’s concerns come weeks after the Ministry of Labour announced the disbursement of Ksh4.6 billion for the payment ofInua Jamii beneficiaries for June and July.
In the latest payments, the beneficiaries were expected to receive Ksh4,000 each, instead of Ksh2,000 each, due to a delay that left them unpaid the previous month.
Although the beneficiaries previously received the stipends to their bank accounts, that changed in January, with the government’s objective being to streamline the process, as mobile money agents are more localised than banks.
However, the problems with the new system were recorded immediately, with beneficiaries decryingdiscrepancies in their identification details, which are mandatory for mobile money withdrawals.
“They are saying I was born in 1922, which is very surprising because I know I was born in 1942, and I used to withdraw my money using that ID since the beginning. Why are they changing my age now?” one beneficiary lamented on January 23.
“Before, we were using ATM cards to get our money, and I still have the card. Then they switched and started asking us to start using ID cards, and when I go to the agent, they tell me my age does not match, and I am 78. How are we going to get help?” another beneficiary added.
Besides these inconsistencies, the new system is alsoreportedly more susceptible to fraud due to the ease of withdrawing money from local mobile money agents.