The government has disbursed Sh2.5 billion to the Inua Jamii program, a critical yet fleeting reprieve for millions of elderly and vulnerable Kenyans battling a crushing cost-of-living crisis.

The Treasury has released Sh2.5 billion to cushion the country’s most vulnerable households, a long-overdue injection of cash that highlights the widening gap between state promises and the harsh reality of survival. The funds, disbursed on Friday, are meant to support orphans, the elderly, and persons with severe disabilities who have been waiting for months with empty pockets and growing desperation.

While the release of funds is a welcome relief, it is a drop in the ocean of need. With inflation soaring and the poverty line swallowing more families daily, these erratic disbursements—often delayed by months—reveal a social protection system that is teetering on the brink of collapse. The shift to the e-Citizen *222# platform is a modernization lauded by the tech-savvy elite, but for the illiterate grandmother in Turkana, it represents yet another digital barrier to accessing her rightful dues.

The Digital Hurdle

The government insists that the digital platform ensures transparency and eliminates "ghost beneficiaries." However, reports from the ground paint a picture of confusion. Many beneficiaries lack the phones or the know-how to navigate the USSD codes, forcing them to rely on middlemen who often demand a cut. The digitization of hunger is a cruel efficiency; it streamlines the process for the state but complicates it for the starving.

Beneficiaries will receive their stipends via M-Pesa, a move designed to cut out the banks and delays. Yet, the sheer amount—Sh2,000 per month—has not been adjusted for inflation, meaning its purchasing power has been eroded by nearly half since the program began. It is a lifeline, yes, but one that is fraying rapidly.

A System Under Strain

The timing of the disbursement is also political. Coming amidst rising discontent over the high cost of living, the release of funds is a strategic move to quell unrest among the "Hustler" base. But sustainable social protection cannot be run on political expediency. The backlog of arrears remains a dirty secret, with many beneficiaries still owed months of payments that may never come.

• The Reality Check: Sh2.5 billion sounds like a fortune, but when divided among over a million households, it barely buys a sack of maize and a tin of oil.
• The Policy Gap: Experts are calling for a legislative guarantee for these funds, removing them from the whims of Treasury cash flow crises.

For the gogo waiting by the phone, the money is a godsend, and she will praise God for it. But a nation that feeds its vulnerable in fits and starts, treating rights as charity, is a nation that has yet to honor its social contract.