Selected families to receive weekly stipend - Uhuru announces

Mumbi Mutuko

April 16, 2020 4:33 PM

Some families to funded by government as Kenya faces Covid-19

Selected families to receive weekly stipend - President Uhuru Kenyatta

President Uhuru Kenyatta has stated that some vulnerable families in will receive stipends from the government to help them during the Covid-19 crisis.

Speaking on Thursday at State House Nairobi, President Kenyatta noted that his administration has identified families that will receive the stipend.

“To further cushion vulnerable Kenyans, we have identified needy households in Nairobi who will be the initial beneficiaries of the government stipend," President Kenyatta said.

"Our vulnerable Kenyans will also be part of the government stipend to cushion them at this difficult time”, President Kenyatta," he added.

President Uhuru Kenyatta Pulse Live Kenya

Struggling Kenyans

With social distancing and a nighttime curfew already in place, workers in various sectors are facing hardships and a dilemma about whether to carry on with their work or stay home and earn nothing.

President Kenyatta took a pay cut for himself together with his deputy as well as a category of top government officials. All savings expected to go into helping combat the coronavirus pandemic.

Various employees face losing jobs while others will have their salaries slashed should the Covid-19 pandemic hit crisis level.

Economic Struggles

Investors walk out of the Nairobi Stock Exchange in Kenya's capital Nairobi, in a file photo. Reuters

Should that happen, it would be a big blow to Kenyans who are already struggling with a high cost of living.

Governments around the world have been particularly worried about the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on wages and salaries as businesses scale down operations or completely shut down. While some have proposed measures to pick the salaries tab and shield companies from losses, others have proposed tax breaks and bailouts.

Mumbi Mutuko