Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba has questioned the consistency of the Inua Jamii cash transfers, saying many elderly and vulnerable people in her constituency have been left out since the government switched from bank deposits to mobile money.
In a statement shared on Monday, August 25, Wamuchomba said several beneficiaries who previously received the Ksh2,000 monthly stipend through their bank accounts have now gone for months without pay.
“This government is now famous for depriving the sick, the disabled, the youths, and now the elderly,” she said, adding that she had a list of affected individuals from Githunguri to prove her claims.
According to the MP, the shift to mobile money has created gaps in accountability and made it harder for beneficiaries to access their rightful funds. “Depriving such needy groups is subscribing to a curse as a nation,” she warned.
Her remarks come weeks after the Ministry of Labour announced it had released Ksh4.6 billion to cover payments for June and July, with each beneficiary expected to receive Ksh4,000 due to a one-month backlog.
While the government argued that moving to mobile money would make access easier for those in remote areas, challenges emerged almost immediately.
Some elderly people complained of errors in their ID details, making withdrawals impossible.
“They are saying I was born in 1922, yet I was born in 1942. I have been using this same ID to collect my money all along. Why change my age now?” one elderly beneficiary lamented earlier this year.
Others said the new system exposed them to fraud, as mobile money agents are more prone to manipulation compared to banks.
Wamuchomba is now calling on the government to urgently address the matter, saying the most vulnerable Kenyans should not suffer due to administrative lapses.
