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{
    "id": 1102727,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1102727/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 296,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kipipiri, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Amos Kimunya",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 174,
        "legal_name": "Amos Muhinga Kimunya",
        "slug": "amos-kimunya"
    },
    "content": " Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I beg to move that the Social Assistance (Repeal) Bill, be now read a Second Time, this being National Assembly Bill No. 16 of 2020. As you know, social assistance broadly refers to both actions of transferring resources by government or by non-government actors. It is transferring resources to people whose vulnerability warrants such transfers as part of affirmative action or assistance. We have seen that happen since the commencement of the Cash Transfer Programme. The pilot programme was started in 2004 and it has been since scaled up. It was started with a few households and lessons were learnt. I think only 500 people participated in the first phase. Remember, at the time, we did not have other mechanisms of transferring money except by actually paying them. Mpesa came in in 2007. So there were lots of challenges at that point, but at least the programme started. It was scaled up and covered a different variety of people. It started with the elderly, the orphans, vulnerable children and then eventually moved to the older persons and people with severe disabilities. By and by, it has increased from the initial 500 to an estimated 1.2 million in all the constituencies. Right now, every Kenyan who is older than 70 years is actually entitled to be on the programme. I know there have been some late registrations and there are people who were 65/66 years during the last registration who have now hit 70 years. It is something that has proved popular and has helped people, especially when you look at the challenges that have come with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, where people are being rendered jobless and our social protection in this part of the continent is mainly through the working populations who take care of the elderly. Now, when the working population were rendered jobless, then the social protection through this cash transfers has come in handy to protect the elderly and vulnerable people especially within the rural areas and even within the urban areas. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}