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Government disburses Ksh537 million to poor families to mitigate drought effects

2022-03-16T16:00:09+03:00

The Government, through the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA), has disbursed Ksh537 million under the Hunger Safety Net Programme (HSNP) to 99,494 poor and vulnerable households in Marsabit, Wajir, Mandera and Turkana counties.

“Each household is entitled to Ksh5400. This will go a long way in ensuring food for the vulnerable households in these four counties, which are among the most affected by drought which has been occasioned by three consecutive failed rain seasons,” said NDMA CEO Lt Col (Rtd) Hared Hassan.

In a food security and nutrition security assessment report released last month, the counties of Marsabit, Turkana, Wajir, and Mandera are among those singled as having huge populations in dire need of relief assistance.

The cash disbursements under the Hunger Safety Net Programme are part of the larger Kenya Social and Economic Inclusion Project implemented by the Government through a loan from the World Bank and a grant from the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO).

Mandera and Marsabit counties, with over 19,000 beneficiaries each, received Ksh107 million and Ksh104 million respectively while Wajir county with over 17,000 beneficiaries received Ksh95 million.
“Turkana County has the highest number of beneficiaries standing at over 35,000. This county has received Ksh189 million in HSNP cash transfers,” Hared said.

The CEO also said that NDMA was currently undertaking registration of poor and vulnerable households in Isiolo, Garissa, Samburu, and Tana River counties with a view to bringing on board an additional 32,000 households under the HSNP.

“We intend to bring on board as many households in the arid counties since these counties are most affected by drought. HSNP cash transfers reach about 26 percent of the population in the programme counties,” said the CEO.

Beneficiaries started receiving their payments yesterday. In Laisamis, Turbi, Lodwar, Marsabit, Moyale, Wajir, and Mandera towns, beneficiaries were sighted in long queues at Equity Bank payment points waiting for their stipend.

“We can only say thank you. I will now be able to buy food for my children whose eating has been erratic over the past few months,” said Mama Nale Bartigo a beneficiary in Korr, Laisamis in Mandera County.

HSNP delivers second tranche for 2018/19 year

2019-11-26T16:34:12+03:00

HSNP has delivered Kshs 0.54 billion (£3.99million) to 97,967 households (Appr. 600,000 people) across the four arid counties of Turkana, Mandera, Wajir and Marsabit. This second tranche, referred to as KR2, was paid out on November 25, 2019. The first tranche of regular cash transfer for this financial year was paid in July

Implemented by the National Drought Management Authority, HSNP is an unconditional flagship cash transfer programme that delivers social assistance cash transfers to poorest and most vulnerable households with an aim of reducing extreme poverty and hunger.

HSNP services available at Huduma Center in Wajir

2018-10-14T15:47:00+03:00

HSNP ACHIEVES ANOTHER MILESTONE- A HELP DESK AT HUDUMA CENTER!

In its endeavor to enhancing quality delivery of services to HSNP beneficiaries, HSNP is now operating at Huduma Center. In Wajir Huduma Center, HSNP help desk is alive and kicking since mid-September 2018. The help desk is currently serving an average of 300 beneficiaries per day. This is following a mobilisation exercise across the County aimed at resolving pending issues that are affecting access to payment by some HSNP households. Some of the services provided include: resolving payment issues, logging updates and complaints, providing information about the programme, linking beneficiaries to other Government services within Huduma center e.g. ID issues with National Bureau for Registration of Persons, Police Abstract, Birth and Death certificates, certificate of good conduct to mention but a few.

HSNP operates in highly dynamic and challenging context. Vast and difficult terrains, poor infrastructure, limited network connectivity and social amenities characterize the geographical context of the four arid HSNP counties. This makes it challenging for beneficiaries to access programme services especially on updates and complaints to enable them better engage with the programme and access their entitlements as planned. HSNP operates a decentralised operations system for delivery of services that include registration, bank account opening, communications, case management (updates and complaints) and monitoring and evaluation. HSNP services can be access at the lowest levels- sub-locations (through Chiefs and assistant chiefs) to the highest level- the National.

By having HSNP help desks at Huduma center, this will help in improving service delivery as it complements the already existing channels. Huduma center also adds value to HSNP beneficiaries as they can easily access other government services e.g. if they have ID issues, HSNP help desk links them with National Bureau for Registration of Persons (NRB) help desk under the same roof. Huduma centers are one-stop shop citizen service centers that provide public services through integrated technology platforms. By having HSNP within Huduma center is a major boost towards the progressive realisation of wider rights especially for the poorest and most vulnerable citizens as enshrined in the Constitution of Kenya 2010. HSNP beneficiaries interviewed at Huduma center expressed their satisfaction in the manner in which their issues were being handled and in a more conductive environment i.e. air conditioned with adequate sitting arrangement, a welcome relief from the sweltering heat of Wajir.

HSNP management together with Huduma Center secretariat is workly together to replicating the same in the other three counties of Turkana, Mandera and Marsabit.

HSNP2 Monthly Bulletin for May 2018

2018-05-01T19:59:00+03:00

HSNP2 is pleased to share with you a summary of key milestones achieved by the programme for the months of January to April 2018. The purpose of this bulletin is to keep HSNP2 stakeholders abreast with the operations of the programme and must importantly demostrate results and create opportunities for collaboration.

Download HSNP2 Monthly Bulletin-May 2018

HSNP releases Independent Evaluation Reports & Special Studies for Phase 2

2018-04-10T18:43:00+03:00

HSNP RELEASES INDEPENDENT EVALUATION REPORTS & SPECIAL STUDIES FOR PHASE 2

In March 2018, Oxford Policy Management Ltd. (OPM) released an assortment of independent evaluation reports and special studies for HSNP2. OPM is the company contracted to conduct independent evaluation for both Phase 1 (2008-2012) and Phase 2 (2013-2018) for HSNP.

The evaluation provides evidence on programme performance for all those concerned with building stronger social protection systems across Kenya. HSNP2 evaluation involves four components that include:

Impact Evaluation – this workstream provides an assessment of the impact of HSNP2 on beneficiary households and includes a study to look at how small amounts of cash injected into the local economy at household level further stimulates economic growth. It also includes a study focussing on drought-induced emergency scale-up payments.
Operational Monitoring – this workstream monitors the payment process at each payment cycle and combines this with in-depth looks at special key topics identified in conjunction with the programme. It also provides an institutional capacity review and costing study.
Policy Analysis – this workstream assesses the effectiveness of the programme targeting approach, conducts a strategic policy review to feed into the larger policy review for the national social protection agenda. It also provides some simulation and other analytical work to help inform the design of subsequent phases of the HSNP.
Communications and Learning – this workstream is designed to ensure that findings from the other workstreams are shared and to support.

The following Evaluation outputs were released in March 2018:

HSNP2 Impact Evaluation Final Report 2018

Presents the findings from the overall mixed-methods Impact Evaluation (IE) of HSNP2. It combines the results from the Qualitative IE, the Quantitative IE and the LEWIE. We shared this together with a standalone executive summary. Click to download report

HSNP2 Impact Qualitative Evaluation Report 2017

The Qualitative IE round 1 provides information about the context in which HSNP2 is operating as well as a qualitative assessment of the impact of both routine and emergency HSNP payments. It draws on the perceptions of beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries, as well as key informants in the four programme counties to describe how beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries perceive the impact of HSNP on different aspects on their lives. It provides a picture of how beneficiaries used their transfers and their thoughts on the changes that have resulted in their material and subjective wellbeing, ability to cope with risks, livelihoods, and the local economy at large. The report also reviews how the transfer is seen to affect social relationships. Click to download report

HSNP2 Independent Evaluation Report on Fiscal Space 2017

This study provides a fiscal space analysis for social protection in Kenya. It focuses on the social assistance element of the National Social Protection Strategy, in particular the four Cash Transfers under the NSNP. The objective is to explore the current and future fiscal space for investment in social assistance by the GoK. Different financing needs and scenarios are presented based on key fiscal and macroeconomic indicators. Click to download report

HSPN2 Independent Evaluation Report on Targeting 2017

This study provides an assessment of the targeting performance of HSNP 2 in terms of reaching poorhouseholds. It answers the questions of how beneficiary households compare to non-beneficiary householdsin terms of poverty status and other welfare characteristics; how phase 2 compares to phase 1 in this regard;and to what extent the PMT and CBT elements of the phase 2 targeting process select the poorest and/or most vulnerable households. It also considers the effect on targeting performance of the county allocation of beneficiary quotas. Click to download report

HSNP2 Local Economic Wide Impact Evaluation 2016

By providing support to poor households, the programme also injects new cash into local economies. Viewed from a local economy-wide perspective, the beneficiary households are a conduit for channelling new cash into the local economy. As households spend their cash, the impacts of the transfer spread from the beneficiary households to others inside and outside of the treated counties. Doorstep trade and purchases in village stores, markets, and nearby commercial centres transmit impacts from beneficiaries to non-beneficiaries in the region. Click to download report

HSNP2 Independent Quantitative Household Impact Technical Report 2017

The Quantitative IE presents the results from the quantitative impact evaluation at household level. The study estimates the change in key outcome variables (poverty, household consumption, food security and dietary diversity, financial access, livestock and asset ownership) that can be attributed to the HSNP2 transfers. The impact estimation is based on the integration of two quantitative impact evaluation methods, the regression discontinuity (RD) and the propensity score matching (PSM) approaches. Click to download report

HSNP2 Cost- Efficiency Study

The objective of cost-efficiency analysis of cash transfer programmes is to measure how much expenditure is incurred to deliver a certain amount of cash to recipients. The cost-efficiency analysis then takes stock of this expenditure and identifies how much has been spent on specific activities and items. Click to download report

HSNP2 Impact Evaluation Qualitative Report on Youth Opportunity and Exclusion 2017

This report presents the findings of an exploratory study on youth opportunities and exclusion in the HSNP counties carried out as part of the qualitative component of the impact evaluation of HSNP Phase 2, which seeks to understand the context within which HSNP is being implemented and how this context mediates programme impacts. Youth (18 to 34 years), who constitute a large proportion of the population (about 30%), face many challenges in the HSNP counties, including: unemployment; exclusion from decision-making, public services, and national resources; real and perceived marginalisation; an identity crisis; and involvement in crime and violence. Click to download report

HSNP2 Operational Monitoring Report

This report concludes the first series of operational monitoring activities. It synthesises the results from 10 rounds of field monitoring that have been undertaken over the last two years to identify best practices and challenges in the way the programme has been operating. Click to download report

HSNP2 Strategy Policy Report 2016

The purpose of the Strategic Policy Review is to review HSNP’s principle objectives and the degree to which these are aligned with the broader social protection and ending drought emergencies contexts and agendas in Kenya. In doing so, the review will identify a number of options for how HSNP can evolve in the future to better respond to the changing contexts and to further align itself with national and sub-national agenda. Click to download report

For more about Impact Evaluation and other related reports for HSNP phase 2, go to Measurement & Evaluation

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Carrie Ndoka

Communications

HSNP-PILU

HSNP 's satellite based emergency scale up mechanism applauded by UK government

2018-01-18T15:01:35+03:00

UK Secretary of State for Department for International Development, Penny Mordaunt, lauded HSNP's drought emergency scale up mechanism that is able to quickly delivery cash transfers to households reported to be in severe or extreme drought status. Vegetation Cover Index (VCI) are generated by the satelite to showcase the status of a given location. HSNP drought emergency cash transfer payments are triggered when a given sub-County is either under severe or extreme drought status. See examples of previous VCI reports labelled Early Warning Bulletin

Article by NewStatesMan

17 JANUARY 2018

There are some areas of public policy that sit firmly in that uncomfortable corner of the ‘popularity vs evidence’ matrix. That corner is the one where the ‘highest level of academic evidence of effectiveness’ and the ‘lowest level of public understanding and therefore support’ intersect. Direct cash transfers is the policy that is firmly in international development’s ‘naughty’ corner.

We all know what Yes, Minister’s Sir Humphrey meant when he says: “that is a very brave decision, Minister.” Yet every new Secretary of State at the Department for International Development has an uncomfortable conversation early in their tenure with evidence-based officials who want to test the bravery of their new political master.

So why has Penny Mordaunt used her first interview with the Financial Times to announce an expansion of direct cash transfers?

Well partly, because wonks read the FT. Indeed, on one level, international development is extremely complex. On another, it’s relatively simple. Poor people have problems that they can’t solve themselves because - you guested it - they don’t have enough money. But just giving money away is easily portrayed as an undeserved hand out. That’s why some element of conditionality makes political sense, even if the evidence suggests that unconditional cash transfers are the most effective of all.

Getting a decent reception for this early policy move in the Telegraph has come partly as a consequence of focusing on refugees – where the need is more visible and less contestable – and party as a consequence of using the language of British ‘national interest’ in a series of articles in that same paper. The latest, describes Britain as a development superpower and when it comes to conditional cash transfer policy, it is indeed the space race that has helped us blaze the trail.

In northern Kenya, the Hunger Safety Net Programme provides a social safety net to people living in a semi-arid region near the equator, using direct cash transfers. And emergency payments are triggered by analysis of satellite imagery of the impact of the weather on crops and vegetation because those changes preemptively mirror changes in food prices. It’s conditional not on what people do but on how the environment in which they live changes, in real time. The system preempts droughts, it prevents famines and it has been running for over a decade now.

We are rightly proud of our welfare state but perhaps sometimes take it for granted. Yet this is a policy that helps other countries to help their own citizens, in their own way.

The programme is now only part funded by the UK taxpayer, in partnership with the Kenyan taxpayer, and Dfid is transitioning to finish its support entirely. This is sustainable development in action and it couldn’t have happened without Britain’s global leadership. Andrew Mitchell, the first Conservative Secretary of State at Dfid, was fond of saying that “these are not Labour achievements or Conservative achievements, but rather they are British achievements.” When it comes to Kenya’s Hunger Safety Net Programme, he certainly has a point.

Click HSNP drought emergency scale ups for more information

HSNP2 pays 0.54billion cash transfers to 100,554 households

2017-11-07T20:45:00+03:00

On 8^th November 2017, HSNP2 delivered Kshs 0.54 billion (£ 3.99million) to 100,554 households (603,324people)across the four arid counties of Turkana, Mandera, Wajir and Marsabit as payment cycle 27. HSNP is an unconditional flagship cash transfer programme that delivers social assistance cash transfers to poorest and most vulnerable households with an aim of reducing extreme poverty and hunger. The cash transfers are delivered in two fold: 1) regular bimonthly to 101,800 Group 1 considered the poorest under the poverty ranking 2) drought emergency scale-up to additional households, Group 2. HSNP is funded by the Governments of Kenya and the United Kingdom (UKAID).

HSNP2 impact evaluation study conducted in 2016 revealed interesting findings on the use of HSNP cash transfers by the beneficiaries. Feedback from HSNP households disclosed that the bulk of the cash goes towards buying food for household consumption. Further, HSNP cash enables the households’ to increase the frequency and portions of meals per day as compared to non-HSNP households. On payday, many beneficiaries buy “bulk” quantities of stables that include: cooking oil, beans, rice, spices, tealeaves, maize and maize floor and this is reflected by the vibrancy of local markets. HSNP cash transfers also assist the households to improve on dietary diversity, as they are able to buy “luxury” items like meat and vegetables in small quantities. Further, the households are able to buy milk for a longer period for daily consumption thus meeting the nutritional requirements of vulnerable households members like children and the elderly.

HSNP cash is also used to re-pay credit and has increased the “credit-worthiness” of the beneficiaries as it enhances the ability to borrow from friends, neighbors and local traders. Ability to access credit is important for consumption smoothing effects. Households can access food and other households’ essentials on credit as they wait for the next payment. Beneficiaries also use a portion of HSNP cash to pay school fees and meet educational costs (uniforms, shoes, books, school supplies, exam fees) thus improving access to education for children from poorest household and especially orphans and children of widows. Additionally, feedback from respondents that include teachers reveal that children from HSNP households recorded high school attendance, as they were less likely to engage in child labour. HSNP cash reduces the pressure of households to engage their children in income generating.

There are beneficiaries that share that they use HSNP cash for home improvement such as improvement of house structure e.g. roofing with corrugated metal sheets, cement for flooring and constructing additional rooms. Others purchase of household items such as utensils, stools and beddings. There are a few beneficiaries that are able to save a portion of their cash over a period of time to buy small livestock mostly sheep and goats. The ability to buy and maintain assets in form of livestock remains an important issue across the four counties where forms of pastoralism are the main source of livelihood.

A quick analysis on the use of HSNP cash transfers by the beneficiaries indicate that the programme is supporting the realisation of socio-economic empowerment of the poorest and vulnerable people as specified under the social pillar of Vision 2030. One of the flagship projects under the social pillar is the establishment of a consolidated social protection fund implemented through the National Safety Net Programme (NSNP) that has four National cash transfer programmes including HSNP. The aim of NSNP is boost economic empowerment of vulnerable groups through social assistance cash transfers.

Compiled by

Carrie Ndoka- Communications Specialist (HSNP2)

HSNP2 pays cycle 26 to 98,896 poorest households

2017-09-14T20:14:00+03:00

On 15 September 2017, HSNP2 paid Kshs. 560,940,300 to 98,896 households across the four poorest and arid Counties of Turkana, Wajir, Mandera and Marsabit. This disbursement was made to the Group 1 households- those who receive unconditional bi-monthly cash transfers. 98,896 households constitute those that meet the threshold of being the poorest in terms of poverty ranking.

HSNP2 regular cash tranfers has proven to be an effective social protection (social assistance) measure for addressing cases of chronic poverty at the household level. HSNP2 impact evaluation studies have proven that cash tranfers have a significant positive impact on local economy (boosting of livelihoods, markets) , social norms (women empowernment), poverty and well-being (reduced stress, boosted confident and worthiness) to mention but a few. In addition, the bulk of the cash is used to meet the basic needs of the household members e.g. able to have larger and more frequent portion of food, buy uniform and other essentials required to access education, pay for medical services and medicine.

The impact on local economy has been manifested by the increased number and frequency of small scale trading not only in urban setting but also in the rural remote areas. Women who consitute 60% of primary recipients of HSNP2 cash tranfers have greatly benefitted in multiple ways including financial inclusion. As a result of HSNP programme, and in specific, the mode of payment delivery through active bank accounts that require valid National IDs (according to the Central Bank's regulation of Know Your Customer), initially,a significant number of target beneficiaries and in specific women in rural remote areas did not have IDs. Thus, HSNP has made the community especially the poorest households have a need for National IDs at the same time enabled them realise their wider rights through the acquisition and use of National IDs beyond cash transfers. In addition, some of the women have started table "kiosks" to sell household essentials like sugar, grains and grocers to boost their livelihoods.

HSNP2 pays 82,828HHs drought emergency cash transfers for May 2017 scale up

2017-06-26T16:12:00+03:00

On 23 June 2017, HSNP2 paid Kshs. 223,635,600 drought emergency cash transfers to additional 82,828 Group 2 households across the four arid counties of Turkana, Mandera, Wajir and Marsabit. Each household received Kshs. 2,700 equivalent to one month's entitlement. Thus, in the ongoing drought status, HSNP2 has scaled up six times since 2017. Scaling up during extremities of drought and flooding is one of HSNP2 core objectives. Total amount paid between November 2016 and June 2017 is Kshs. 0.977 billion (£7,521,597) to approx. 150,000 Group 2 households which is approx. 1million people in the four Counties. Emergency payments are funded by the Governments of Kenya, United Kingdom (UKAID) and European Union.

May 2017 scale up is triggered by the satellite generated Vegetation Coverage Index (VCI) report of end of April 2017. This report showcased that rainfall received in April across many parts of the ASALs has provided some reprieve, replenishing water sources and regenerating pasture and browse to some degree. Distances to water were reducing but are still well above normal. Livestock body condition and milk production were starting to improve, particularly among browsers, although the effect of the season on livestock productivity would be more apparent in the followingmonth. However, it warned that any positive impacts were likely to be modest and short-lived, since the expected short rains had generally been below normal and poorly distributed and therefore unlikely to sustain recovery throughout the coming dry period. Moreover, some areas have received very little rainfall and even none, like Mandera, Wajir, Marsabit and Turkana.

Read NDMA Bulletin Report April 2017

According to the external HSNP2 impact qualitative report released in June 2017 by Oxford Policy Management, HSNP households that receive emergency cash transfers in the event of severe drought report positive effects on meeting short-term basic needs such as retaining children in school, maintaining food consumption, and spending on healthcare.