Over 119,406 needy and vulnerable households are set to benefit after the government committed Sh338,620,500 million to cushion them against drought shocks.
Households in Marsabit, Wajir, Mandera Turkana, Samburu, Isiolo, Garissa and Tana River counties will get the funds through the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) under the Hunger Safety Net Programme (HSNP).
In a statement, the Ministry of East African Community CS Rebecca Miano said each household will receive Sh2,700, routine and regular disbursements for the month of August.
She added that targeted counties are among the hardest hit by the drought that lasted four consecutive failed rain seasons.
"The sustained drought undermined livelihoods and community coping mechanisms made the communities identified for cash disbursements markedly vulnerable," she said.
"These counties are ranked the poorest and most susceptible to drought-related shocks besides having the lowest human development index (HDI)."
The cash disbursements under the Hunger Safety Net Programme are part of the larger Kenya Social and Economic Inclusion Project (KSEIP) implemented by the government.
The other cash transfers under KSEIP are Older Persons Cash Transfer (OPCT), Persons with Severe Disabilities (PWSD) and Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) under the umbrella of the Inua Jamii programme.
Beneficiaries will begin receiving their payments on Monday, September 25, 2023, through Equity and KCB Bank Agents and branches within their regions.
In Garissa, 7,346 households will receive Sh24,588,900, in Isiolo 4,614 households will receive Sh13,327,2oo, Samburu will receive Sh18,335,700 in 6,287 households and Tana River to receive Sh17,685,000 in 6,011 households.
Other counties include Mandera which will receive Sh56,308,500 in 20, 407 households, in Marsabit 19,174 households will receive Sh52,868,700, in Turkana 37,445 households will receive Sh105,656,400 and in Wajir 18, 122 households will receive Sh49,850,100
Miano said the government disbursed over Sh3.6 million in cash transfers.
She urged beneficiaries with pending concerns such as change of recipient and ID updates to visit the nearest Equity and KCB bank branches to regularize their details in readiness for payments.
She said the onset of the 2023 March to May long rains posted varying results across the country.
Cumulative rainfall amounts were generally near average/ average [between 75 per cent and 125 per cent of the long-term average (LTA)] in the northern and southern Rift Valley, coastal and central parts of the country.
Across the rest of the country, particularly the northern and eastern parts, above average (above 125 per cent of the LTA) was received.
However, parts of southern Kajiado received below-average rains (below 75 per cent of the LTA).