NAIROBI, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Kenya has allocated 74 million U.S. dollars on the old age cash transfer program for the 2017/2018 financial year, a senior government official said on Thursday.
Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of East African Community, Labour and Social Protection Phyllis Kandie told a media briefing in Nairobi that the Older Person's Cash Transfer Programme (OPCT) currently supports 310,000 beneficiary households.
"The aim of the program is to enhance income security, improve livelihoods among older person of 70 years and above and build resilience and foster a life of dignity among older persons," Kandie said.
Under the program which began in 2008, old but poor people receive a monthly stipend of 20 dollars to cater for their daily needs.
Kandie noted that the government is currently on an enhanced registration exercise in order to recruit more people into the program.
"Our target is that by the end of the year, we will have registered 500,000 elderly people into the programme," she added. Kandie noted that the life expectancy of Kenya has been on the increase in the past decade.
"So, the government has the responsibility to ensure that the elderly are not a burden to society," she added.
The OPCT is part of the National Safety Net Programme that includes the cash transfer to orphans and people with disabilities.
The National Safety Net Programme currently has 830,000 beneficiaries and has disbursed 600 million dollars in the past four years.
