The State Department for Children Services has dismissed reports circulating online claiming that cash transfers for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) will be delayed in June.
In a statement, the department said the information being shared is false and urged the public to rely only on official government communication regarding the Cash Transfer for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (CT-OVC) programme.
The fake notice, which was widely shared on social media, was allegedly signed by Children Services Principal Secretary Carren Ageng’o. It claimed that payments had been delayed due to a backlog in the verification and recertification of beneficiaries, and that disbursements would only resume after the process was completed.
The department has, however, distanced itself from the statement, warning that it did not originate from the ministry.
The clarification comes at a time when uncertainty has been growing among beneficiaries, with no official announcement yet on the next payment cycle for the programme.
While the government released Ksh2.4 billion on June 5 to support social protection programmes for older persons and persons with severe disabilities, OVC beneficiaries have not yet received a corresponding disbursement.
Some beneficiaries have expressed concern online, saying the last confirmed payment under the CT-OVC programme was processed on March 31.
The situation has added to wider concerns over delays in government payments across different sectors, with several groups reporting late salaries and stipends in recent weeks.
In some counties, employees have raised complaints over delayed pay, while others have linked the delays to administrative and system changes being implemented in public payroll processes.
Just days ago, security officers reportedly locked Bungoma County officials out of their offices over salary arrears stretching several months, highlighting growing tensions linked to delayed payments.
Separately, Murang’a County has attributed delays in intern stipends to the rollout of a new Human Resource Information System introduced by the National Treasury for public employees.
On June 17, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi assured public servants that June salaries would be prioritised, even as concerns continued over delayed Exchequer releases affecting various government programmes.