Govt extends emergency cash transfer to aid drought affected districts

The government has announced that from the 1.3 million beneficiaries currently on the Social Cash Transfer programme, 906,492 individuals from 84 drought-affected districts will receive an additional K200.

Community Development and Social Welfare Minister, Doreen Mwamba, stated that under the Emergency Cash Transfer programme, the government would target those already enrolled in the regular Social Cash Transfer programme.

Speaking to Parliament on Wednesday in a ministerial statement, Mwamba said this measure aimed to alleviate the suffering of those affected by the drought in the 84 districts across the country.

She added that her ministry, in collaboration with various stakeholders, conducted a countrywide rapid assessment on drought to identify other affected individuals not currently on the Social Cash Transfer program.

“Through the assessment, 726,516 individuals from the 84 affected districts were registered for Emergency Cash Transfer and will receive K400 per month,” Mwamba highlighted.

She explained that the Emergency Cash Transfer programme would run for a period of 12 months for both categories of beneficiaries.

Mwamba stated that the existing payment systems, including the payment service provider modality for urban areas and the pay point manager modality for rural areas, would be used to deliver the Emergency Cash Transfer to beneficiary households.

“Under the Emergency Wetland Cropping of the Food Security Pack intervention, the Ministry will provide farming inputs to vulnerable drought-affected households in all 116 districts,” she said.

Mwamba reiterated that this initiative aims to support 300,000 poor and vulnerable but viable small-scale farming households to grow white maize using irrigation from furrows, streams, dambos, plains, or any other accessible water sources.

She assured that the government was working on all modalities to ensure that all eligible households access the necessary and much-needed support, in the spirit of leaving no one behind.

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