This archive report was first published on 11 June 2020.
On June 11, 2020, the European Union Ambassador for Kenya, Simon Mordue, is expected to sign a €5 million grant in the presence of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection. This grant will enable a consortium of NGOs to provide cash transfers to 80,000 vulnerable Kenyans who have lost their income sources due to COVID-19.
The aim of the project is to improve food security for 50 percent of recipients' food needs, as well as cover other essential costs such as soap, water, rent, and mobile phone credit.
As a result of COVID-19, an estimated 30 percent of Kenyans living in Nairobi's informal settlements are experiencing severe hunger. To address this issue, the EU's Partners Oxfam in Kenya, the Kenyan Red Cross Society, Concern Worldwide, ACTED, IMPACT, the Centre for Rights Education and Awareness, and the Wangu Kanja Foundation will help provide 20,000 households living in the Kibera, Korogocho, Mathare, Soweto, Majengo, Gitare, Marigo, Gatina Lunga Lunga, Kayole and Mukuru informal settlements of Nairobi with monthly cash transfers for three months, beginning in June.
The direct cash transfers via Mpesa, through mobile money transfer, will complement the Ministry of Labour's Inua Jamii programme. The cash transfers will be made to 11,250 households enrolled in Inua Jamii, receiving Sh2,000 per month, and an additional Sh5,668 per month to meet approximately 50 percent of the minimum expenditure basket (MEB) agreed by the Kenya Cash Working Group. 8,750 households who are not enrolled in any safety net programme will receive Sh7,668 per month, or 50 percent of the MEB.
Additionally, the consortium will provide cash assistance to approximately 1,035 survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, identified by local partners, alongside SGBV prevention and response measures. Households will be selected through the Nyumba Kumi system, subject to independent verification by the Kenya Red Cross Society with additional checks carried out by the consortium partners.
