ABSTRACT
The Government of Kenya has run pilot cash transfer programmes since 2004 and formalised them as part of social protection policy in 2011. This chapter explores Kenya's cash transfer programmes as an indicator of the role of politics in the public policy process. It explores how the politics of patronage have informed the formulation and implementation of both the policy and the programmes. Sustained by its investments in infrastructure, its location as a regional business hub and gradual improvements in governance and public sector capacity, the Kenyan economy is expected to keep growing steadily, according to projections by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Since 2004, cash transfer programmes have targeted orphans and vulnerable children (OVC); older persons; persons with severe disabilities (PWSD), Hunger Safety Net Program (HSNP); and the Urban Food Subsidy Cash Transfer (UFSCT). A Social Assistance Committee (SAC) manages all the cash transfer programmes at the constituency level.
