A report on the state of social protection in Kenya reveals the bulk of the vulnerable population in the country is yet to benefit from the government’s social protection coverage.
Dubbed progressive pathway towards universal social protection system in Kenya, the joint Social Development Goals report recommends the expansion of social protection as well as strengthening of linkages between social protection, agriculture and livelihood opportunities.
It further reveals that 78 per cent of vulnerable persons have been excluded from the government’s social protection coverage with only 12 per cent of households benefitting from social protection.
Despite the country expanding the coverage of its national cash transfer to reach 1.3 million households in 2019, 12 per cent of Kenyans remain food insecure.
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Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Simon Chelugui said the government remains committed to ensuring coverage of those excluded while improving the delivery and support of the 22 per cent already covered by government interventions.
He spoke during the launch of the Kenya Joint Sustainable Development Goals Fund for Social Protection.
STATE OF SOCIAL PROTECTION
A report on the state of social protection in Kenya reveals that the bulk of the vulnerable population in the country are yet to benefit from the government’s social protection coverage #KBCLunchTimeNews @serfine_achieng ^MK pic.twitter.com/gKaObAf7qj— KBC Channel1 News (@KBCChannel1) July 15, 2020
Chelugui says the joint report will be instrumental in mobilizing increased budgetary allocations to enhance cross-sectoral interventions that will include scaling up appropriate gender-sensitive social protection policies and programmes in rural areas.
The study was unveiled amid calls for more public-private sector partnerships to support vulnerable groups, especially during the coronavirus pandemic.
STATE OF SOCIAL PROTECTION
COVID-19 has taught us that everybody is at risk of falling into poverty at some point in life. Social protection can protect all people from the risk of poverty in all its dimensions
#KBCLunchTimeNews @serfine_achieng ^MK pic.twitter.com/veDBCaktsn— KBC Channel1 News (@KBCChannel1) July 15, 2020
The SDG joint programme aims to support the government to operationalize universal social protection, through the generation of evidence, advocacy and policy and development of specific plans and financing strategies to make social protection for all Kenyans a reality.
