By Salome Alwanda
Busia County has registered 21,841 people for the Inua Jamii program, the County Coordinator for Social Services David Chepkwony has said.
Of those registered, 1,737 are Persons with disabilities (PWDs), 7,866 are orphaned and vulnerable children (OVCS), and 12,348 are the elderly.
Speaking to the stakeholders during the County Children’s Advisory Committee meeting at the County Commissioner’s Conference Hall on Friday, Chepkwony said that the exercise which was expected to end on 15th September, 2023 has been extended to the 30th of this month.
He pointed out that a number of people with minor physical disabilities turned out to be enlisted explaining that only those with severe disabilities that need to be supported 24 hours qualified for the category.
“When we tell them that we need people who are bedridden, they feel that we are being unfair,” he said, adding that his team will visit each of the enlisted persons to record their family backgrounds and upload the details into the system that will carry out the ranking.
The officer urged parents, guardians, and other caregivers to take the potential beneficiaries of the cash transfer program to the nearest Children’s and Social Service offices for listing.
Chepkwony explained that the exercise had no political inclination but was being carried out countrywide.
Busia Sub County Children’s officer Patrick Mukolwe urged caregivers to accompany the potential beneficiaries of the program to the offices stating that a number of them do not know their personal details.
“When we were carrying out the mass listing, the assistant chiefs were around and it became easier but now that they will be visiting our offices, some of them might not manage,” he said, adding that the system will not upload them without all the required details.