Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture and Children Services Hanna Wendot. /HANNA WENDOT/X
The government has disbursed Sh877,608,000 to 438,804 households enrolled in the Cash Transfer for Orphans and Vulnerable Children Programme, offering a critical lifeline to families caring for some of the country’s most at-risk children.
The funds were released through the State Department for Children Services under the Inua Jamii initiative, Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture and Children Services Hanna Wendot said.
“This payment covers November 2025, with each household receiving Sh2,000. Payments will begin on Friday, January 9, 2026, through the contracted payment service provider,” Wendot said.
The Cash Transfer for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (CT-OVC) Programme is Kenya’s flagship social protection intervention targeting households caring for orphans and vulnerable children.
It was launched in 2004 to cushion families facing extreme poverty while ensuring children remain within supportive family and community environments.
Under the programme, eligible households receive a regular cash stipend to help meet basic needs.
The support is designed to strengthen access to education, healthcare, nutrition and food security, while also reinforcing child protection at the household level.
The CT-OVC programme began as a modest pilot targeting 500 households in Kwale, Garissa and Nairobi. Over the years, it has steadily expanded, both in coverage and scale.
Today, it supports nearly 440,000 vulnerable households across all counties and constituencies, reflecting its evolution into a nationwide safety net.
The value of the cash transfer has also grown from an initial Sh500 paid once every two months to the current Sh2,000 per month.
The adjustment mirrors the government’s stated commitment to strengthening social protection for vulnerable populations amid rising economic pressures.
To qualify for enrolment, households must meet strict eligibility criteria. Beneficiaries must come from extremely poor households with one or more orphans or vulnerable children as permanent members.
Eligible households must also not be receiving support from other social assistance programmes.
Households headed by caregivers who are chronically ill or unable to perform their caregiving duties may also qualify for inclusion.
The last enrolment of new households into the programme was conducted in October 2023.
Although the programme is now fully funded by the government, it initially received support from development partners.
Its establishment was largely driven by the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which left thousands of children orphaned and exposed to severe deprivation.
The overarching objective of the CT-OVC programme is to promote the care and retention of orphans and vulnerable children within family settings while enhancing their long-term human capital development.
Over time, the programme has been associated with reduced poverty levels, improved food security and better school attendance among beneficiary children, reinforcing its role as a cornerstone of Kenya’s social protection framework.