The cards will replace the system where beneficiaries have been receiving cash from Postbank using their national identity cards, a model that has been prone to fraud.
The smart cards will be swiped or tapped on a machine provided at KCB branches or the banker’s agents for one to receive the Sh2,000 monthly stipend.
Biometric smart cards will now be used to distribute the monthly State stipend for the elderly, orphans and the disabled in an effort to curb fraud.
President Uhuru Kenyatta Tuesday launched the cards that will capture fingerprints of the beneficiaries or their caregivers.
The cards will replace the system where beneficiaries have been receiving cash from Postbank using their national identity cards, a model that has been prone to fraud.
“Biometric registration will increase efficiency and avoid duplication in the cash transfers,” said Mr Kenyatta at the launch of a week-long national social protection conference in Nairobi.
The smart cards will be swiped or tapped on a machine provided at KCB branches or the banker’s agents for one to receive the Sh2,000 monthly stipend.
“This is part of our measures to fight corruption and ensure transparency in the Inua Jamii cash transfer programme,” Labour secretary Kazungu Kambi said.
The Treasury raised the allocation to poor households in the current fiscal year to Sh15.8 billion from Sh13.4 billion last year. Currently, 444,000 people benefit from the stipends, according to the Ministry of Labour.
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