Jubilee could have hit re-election jackpot with Social protection plan

The dream of a social protection plan whose role is to protect the elderly and the disabled from extreme forms of poverty through monthly stipends is quickly becoming a reality in Kenya.

The Treasury is spending over Sh1 billion on the programme every month and beneficiaries would take the monthly expenditure to more than Sh2 billion a month. First started on a pilot study in a few counties, it is now a countrywide phenomenon and it is putting a smile on the faces of the senior citizens.

This exercise is clearly a living testimony that the government is appreciating the aged. Old citizens in our society are viewed as being important persons who deserve better and dignified treatment. No wonder it is easy for the President to penetrate in his reelection campaign areas previously deemed Opposition. It is a way of the people in our villages saying thank you for remembering our elderly citizens.

Now as the exercise to register the old citizens goes countywide for two months the country must ensure that all the eligible persons are captured before the closing date of the registration exercise set for August 31 this year. This proposed welfare program envisages offering the enlisted elderly persons a monthly stipend and free NHIF cover.

This noble idea, away from politics, should be supported and ordinary citizens should advocate for it.

The upward trajectory of development that the country is currently experiencing can only be strengthened if Kenyans make the right choice. It is about policy development and seeing to it that what is proposed is funded and implemented if Kenya has to achieve its goal of being a middle income earning economy as envisioned in the 2030 blue print.

There are other economic and health programs initiated by the government including a Cash Transfer Program for the elderly, the Inua Jamii Safety Net Program and free medical services through the National Health Insurance Fund.

A lot more needs to be done despite the progress the country has achieved in the last four years.