State cash scheme for the poor under scrutiny

In the UK, the allowances commonly called dole money, is given to the unemployed but on condition that they continue searching the job market for employment.

People found to be lagging behind in the search for employment are removed from the programme.

Stimulus package

In the United States of America, the Congress recently passed the stimulus package that included a $3 billion emergency fund to provide temporary assistance to needy families.

Many low income Americans or poor families estimated to be around 37 million people benefit from the stimulus package passed by their Congress.

In the US, more than 30 million people benefit from food stamps, another subsidy arrangement meant to feed the very vulnerable.

About 4.8 million others draw unemployment allowances or disability allowances.

The cash disbursement programme for the poor in urban slums comes at a time when aid agencies such as Oxfam estimate that the number of people living in the low income settlements is increasing.

Oxfams report on Urban Poverty and Vulnerability in Kenya says Nairobi and other urban regions are sagging under the weight of an increasing population as most people troop to the urban regions in search of jobs and good living but this turns into a nightmare for many who end up in slums because of lower and unstable incomes.

According to the British aid agency, more than four million people living in Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu cities are so poor they are unable to afford food regularly and that almost a third of the people classified as “food poor” are located in Nairobi.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga says it is the government’s responsibility to provide a safety net for poor.