A unique feature of HSNP is its ability to expand coverage during times of drought or flooding by disbursing emergency cash transfers to additional vulnerable households beyond the regular cash transfer beneficiaries. HSNP has scaled up and down since March 2015 whenever pre-agreed triggers for drought response are met.
Shock responsive cash transfers play an important role in reducing vulnerability and risk throughout the drought cycle. Just like in other response actions, NDMA is guided by the ‘no-regrets, early action’ principle aimed at protecting lives and livelihoods, thus avoiding the high cost of emergency response. The scalability of cash transfers provides a fast and effective response to large proportions of the population during severe drought and support the resilience of the poor and vulnerable populations in response to regular, local climatic fluctuations. There is a lot of evidence in arid areas of the strong and direct correlation between worsening drought conditions and decreased household consumption and expenditure. Timely scaling up and down of cash payments before situations deteriorate has been shown to be more effective and cost-efficient than initiating ad hoc emergency relief responses.
Trigger criteria
HSNP shock responsive cash transfer is determined by the NDMA drought status triggered by the Vegetation Condition Index (VCI) classified as extreme drought (less than 10), severe drought (10-20), moderate drought (20-30) and no drought (35 and above).
Beneficiaries on the regular programme are not eligible for emergency cash. On average, 26% of registered households are on regular cash transfer.
During drought, each sub-county is allocated a number of households eligible for scale-ups depending on drought status as below;
- Severe drought – Beneficiaries are increased to 50% of households in the HSNP MIS
- Extreme drought – Beneficiaries are scaled up to 75% of households in the HSNP MIS
- Moderate drought – for sub-locations neighbouring sub-counties in severe or extreme drought based on a formula (20% equal sub-county share, 40% VCI and 40% of HSNP group 2 population)
Payment
Scalable cash transfers were paid based on vegetation condition index thresholds with each household receiving KSh2,700 per month through the HSNP programme.
HSNP beneficiaries have bank accounts through which scale-up payments can be delivered during periods of severe drought or floods. The bank accounts are linked to debit cards that are operated through two-factor authentication- access using biometrics or PIN. The debit cards also have a wallet facility that can be used to do both cash and non-cash interventions by HSNP or any interested organization working in the four counties.
Beneficiaries are paid through Equity Bank branches, Automated Teller Machines for those with PIN or via selected Equity Bank agents.
Key questions for scalability
- Which households? – what proportion of additional households in the identified geographic location?
- For how long? - over what duration should the expanded payments be made and when should they be scale down?
Read more:
- HSNP Scalability options paper
- HSNP Emergency payment strategy for January- March 2015 presentation
- Briefing note on HSNP Emergency payment for January to March 2015
- Briefing note on Emergency payment for May 2015
Read more on local and International media coverage of HSNP Emergency payments on http://www.hsnp.or.ke/index.php/news/current-news