Elders and guardians of children with special needs have been urged to invest their social protection funds in agriculture to mitigate the cases of poverty in the area.
Speaking at Malaba during the launch of Rapid Result Initiative (RRI) for the elderly above 70 years and vulnerable children in the society, Busia County Commissioner Kipchumba Ruto challenged them to invest the Ksh 2,000 they receive from the government rather than buying food directly.
“Those who will be selected to benefit from the program I urge you not to invest in your stomach by rather do farming as the area has fertile soil that supports agriculture,” noted Ruto.
He urged the social officers to use local administration to reach out to the target groups that need the support from the government.
“Within the remaining one week I have given directive to all the chief to reach out to all households that has this categories of people to ensure all benefits,” said Ruto.
Teso North sub county targets to register 1053 households for cash transfer for the orphans and vulnerable children.
Busia as a county faces the challenge of vetting to identify the elderly whose number is overwhelming according to the county commissioner.
“We have our mothers who were married here from Uganda and they are yet to obtain national identification cards though they are above 70 years,” said the county commissioner.
Ruto disputed those with wrong myth on subsidized fertilizers urging them to register to benefit from the program that targets to address the food insecurity in the country.
The sentiment that were echoed by Teso North DCC Stephen Omondi who took that platform to declare ban of disco-matanga in the subcounty noting that early pregnancies stretches government resources.
Omondi warned chiefs against Kangaroo courts being supportive cultural norms that are against government development agendas and economic progress of the area.
“We have suspended disco-matanga in Teso North, we are completely discouraging teenage pregnancies and early marriages that deprive others of their precious dreams,” said DCC Omondi.
The government has said it intends to add 500,000 more elderly and vulnerable Kenyans gradually into the cash transfer programme from next month who have attained age 70 and above.
However, the senior citizens have pleaded with the State to issue new list of cash transfer programme beneficiaries because the current one is discriminatory.
The elderly also want the government to establish a system that will automatically identify and include in the list those who attain the required age of 65 years.
