Hundreds of elderly residents in Mathioya, Murang'a County, waited in long queues for up to 10 hours to register for the Inua Jamii programme. Lilian Maina, an elderly resident, arrived at Karung'e ACK in Mathioya at 7 am and was still waiting at 5 pm. The residents complained that they had been forced to spend the entire day waiting at registration centres without food or drinking water.
The registration exercise was hindered by a lack of machines and personnel, with only one machine provided to serve hundreds of residents. Jeffrey Kuria, an elderly resident, arrived at the centre at 8 am and feared many people would leave without being registered due to the slow pace. He urged the government to provide at least three machines to speed up the exercise.
The challenge faced by the residents was not only the length of the queue but also the basic needs that went unmet as the hours dragged on. Kuria lamented that they had not eaten and there was no water available. Some beneficiaries had resorted to eating sweets to keep their energy levels up while waiting.
Kenneth Kabue, a philanthropist who visited the elderly during the exercise, said poor registration arrangements should not lock deserving beneficiaries out of a programme intended to support vulnerable households. He said some residents had spent the entire day at the centre, yet only about 60 to 70 people had been registered out of an estimated 500 who had turned up.
Kabue urged local leaders to intervene and ensure elderly residents were adequately supported throughout the exercise. He provided vehicles to ferry some elderly residents to registration centres and return them home, noting that many faced difficulties reaching the centres, particularly those from remote villages.
The residents also called for an increase in the monthly Inua Jamii stipend, currently Sh2,000, saying the amount was insufficient to meet their basic needs. Kabue urged elected leaders to push for an increase to at least Sh5,000, arguing that elderly people had contributed to society and deserved better support in their later years.
Mathioya deputy county commissioner Riungu Laikera acknowledged the challenges experienced during the initial registration exercise and said the government had adjusted its approach to take the service closer to beneficiaries. He said the exercise was also intended to conduct a "proof of life" exercise to establish whether some beneficiaries previously enrolled in the programme had died.
Key points
- The Inua Jamii programme aims to support vulnerable households, but poor registration arrangements have led to lengthy waits for elderly beneficiaries.
- The government has adjusted its approach to take the service closer to beneficiaries, but more machines and personnel are needed to prevent elderly people from spending long hours waiting to be registered.
- The residents are also calling for an increase in the monthly Inua Jamii stipend, currently Sh2,000, to meet their basic needs.
