UNIVERSAL CHILD BENEFITS PROGRAMME (KISUMU, KAJIADO, EMBU COUNTIES)
In line with Kenya’s Social Protection Investment Plan (SPIP), the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection (MLSP) with support from development partners is developing options for a national Universal Child Benefit (UCB).
The UCB scheme aims at reaching all children by the year 2030. Following the impacts of the COVID 19 pandemic towards children, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection and UNICEF – in partnership with WFP and Save the Children have commissioned the design and implementation of a 12-month UCB pilot in eight selected Locations in Kenya. The UCB pilot will provide beneficiaries with bi-monthly cash transfers (amounting to around 800 Kenyan shillings per child), as well as nutrition, child protection and disability-and gender-sensitive complimentary services.
The purpose of the UCB pilot is to provide financial support to families with young children affected by the COVID-19 crisis, test out the delivery of a UCB and the developed design, and provide evidence on the impacts of a UCB on families and communities. The pilot will also help to inform the design of the long-term UCB and contribute to advocacy and visibility efforts.
Specifically, the pilot Universal Child Benefits program aims to;
- cushion children and their families from the lasting socio-economic impacts of the Covid-19 crisis,
- generate lessons for the introduction of a long-term UCB, and
- strengthening advocacy efforts and visibility for the UCB.
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