Older persons constitute a sizable population of the poor in the country. They are more often poorer than other age groups. The situation is worse amongst older women who face many barriers and discriminatory treatment during their life time. Those entering old age in poverty are likely to remain poor as chances of improvement in poverty levels diminish with age.

Population of older persons:

Government efforts to address old age poverty

1. Signed the International Plan of Action on Ageing adopted in 1982, Vienna Austria World Assembly on Ageing (WAA1)
2. Committee to UN principles-rights of older persons to independence, participation, care, self-fulfillment and dignity.
3. African Union approved Policy Framework and Plan of Action on Ageing in 2002
4. Request member states to formulate national polices on ageing
5. Kenya has draft policies on Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPPAA)
6. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) recognizes the need to take care of the older people.
7. The Social Protection initiatives are policies and action targeting the poor and vulnerable old members of out Society. These initiatives are aimed at enhancing their capacity to reduce extreme poverty as well as economic and social vulnerability.
8. Cash transfer is one of the instruments being used to address the needs of the vulnerable older persons.

Launch of the OPCT Programme in Yathui, Mwala Constituency, 2009

Background of older persons cash transfer:

The programme started in 3 districts under the RRI initiative -2007, with 300 households receiving KES 1000 a month. This was scaled-up in 2009 to cover 44 districts and 33,000 households each receiving KES 1500 a month.

Overall objective of the programme:

1. To strengthen the capacities of older persons and improve their livelihood while alleviating integrated poverty through sustainable social protection mechanisms.

Specific objective of the programme:

1. To provide regular and predictable cash transfer to vulnerable older persons in identified households
2. To built capacities of beneficiaries in order to improve their livelihoods.

Eligible criteria:

1. Household with a person of 65 years and above
2. Extremely poor households
3. Must not be enrolled in any cash transfer programme
4. Must not be receiving any pension.

Targeting criteria: (geographical area)

1. Use of Kenya Integrated Households Budget data Survey 2005/2006
2. District selection (vulnerability of the district)
3. Regional balancing (provincial distribution) will be observed.
4. Use of community poverty indicators

Ranking criteria:

1. Number of orphans ad vulnerable children in the household
2. Number of persons with disabilities in a household
3. Age of the oldest member in a household
4. Poverty level of a household
5. Number of chronically ill in a household

Proposed delivery Mechanism:

The Cash Transfer is delvered through the Postal Corporation of Kenya, which has branches spread across the country.

Frequency:

The amount is delivered every two months.

Exit Strategy:

1. When the older person dies, the household continues to receive the cash for the next three months.
2. Where the condition of the household changes dramatically, the program exits immediately.
3. When the household willingly withdraws from the programm.
4. When the household is discovered to have given false information to benefit from the program
5. If the beneficiary moves out of the programm district
6. If the beneficiary does not collect their cash for three (3) consecutive payment, that is six (6) months.

Scale up of cash transfer

In 2011, the programme received further funding and has since been up-scaled to cover all the 210 Constrituencies with 36,036 households each receiving a monthly transfer of KES 2000 covering 3.2 % out of 1,132,273 older people over 65 years of age.