NAIROBI, Kenya – The government has begun linking the Inua Jamii cash transfer programme to the Civil Registration Services (CRS) database in a sweeping move to eliminate “ghost” beneficiaries and stop payments to deceased persons.
This action comes after an audit exposed significant flaws in the system, revealing that some beneficiaries had continued receiving funds long after their deaths—prompting widespread calls for urgent reform.
“Going forward, the State Department has planned to integrate the CCTP-MIS (Consolidated Cash Transfer Programme Management Information System) with the CRS database to automatically identify deceased beneficiaries,” the Department for Social Protection confirmed in a statement.
Once the integration is complete, the system will be able to flag and exit deceased persons, especially under the Older Persons Cash Transfer (OPCT) programme.
1.76 Million Beneficiaries at Stake
The Inua Jamii programme currently supports over 1.76 million Kenyans, including orphans, people with disabilities, and elderly citizens.
In the 2024/2025 financial year, the government allocated Sh47.8 billion to the programme, underscoring the scale of potential wastage if not properly monitored.
Past audits, however, raised red flags over ongoing payments to individuals who had already died.
In response, the National Assembly previously recommended physical headcounts every two months—an approach that proved costly and inefficient.
Auditor General Nancy Gathungu later confirmed the State Department had acknowledged loopholes in its system, including delays in deactivating deceased beneficiaries.
Reform in Progress
The department admitted that although funds for deceased individuals had been clawed back in some instances, many had not yet been officially exited due to pending upgrades to the system’s payment module.
“The CCTP-MIS has been undergoing enhancement to provide automatic service of exiting households whose funds have been clawed back,” the department said.
Funds are currently disbursed through six contracted banks. However, unutilised balances from failed credit attempts or inactive accounts are sometimes carried forward or returned to the National Treasury.
Additionally, inconsistencies have been flagged in cases involving caregiver transitions, where new caregivers occasionally reappear to reclaim funds after previous arrangements had lapsed.
Such incidents have further exposed weaknesses in tracking and verification, sparking renewed urgency to modernise the payment system.
