Funds to protect the elderly, orphans and vulnerable children, persons living with disabilities and other vulnerable groups have been slashed in President William Ruto’s maiden budget.
The Kenya government has set aside Sh38.2 billion to protect vulnerable groups.
This is a decrease compared to Sh39.5 billion which was allocated in the Financial Year 2022-23.
While reading the 2023-24 budget on Thursday, Treasury CS Njuguna Ndung' said that out of the allocation, Sh18 billion will cater for cash transfers to elderly persons, orphans and vulnerable children (Sh7.9 billion) and persons living with severe disabilities (Sh1.2 billion).
President Ruto had earlier announced that the government will start disbursing Inua Jamii social protection funds before the public servants' salaries starting June 1, 2023.
Ruto stated that it is appalling to neglect vulnerable citizens which impairs the nation's bottom-up approach to an economic transformation.
The Head of State, therefore, noted that the disbursement, which has received a green light from the Cabinet and the Treasury, will aid in protecting the fund's beneficiaries.
According to President Ruto, 16.1 per cent of Kenyans currently live below the poverty line as the number peaked during the covid pandemic, reaching 8.9 million people.
A total of 18.26 percent of Kenyan children under 5 are stunted hence undernutrition is depriving them of normal growth and development and robbing them of their full potential.
President Ruto called on relevant stakeholders and partners to "join in this noble undertaking and hasten our progress to full social protection cover in Kenya."
