Effect of Social Assistance Programmes on Improving Quality of Life in Kenya: Evidence from Machakos County

European Scientific Journal, Jul 2017

This study investigates the effect of social assistance programmes on improving quality of life in Kenya - evidence from Machakos County. Probit model was applied to model the empirical analysis. The paper concludes that moderate households’ awareness of available types of cash transfer. On the households’ quality of life with reference to social assistance programmes, the study posits that households in receipt of bursary support, cash transfers for orphans and vulnerable children, and cash transfers to the elderly will report an improved life quality compared to their counterparts who have not received such transfers. Similar conclusion is arrived at for remittances receipts from relatives residing outside the County. The paper recommends application and scaling up of social assistance programmes to reduce poverty at county and national levels so that in turn can improve quality of life of households. This will go a long way in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

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Effect of Social Assistance Programmes on Improving Quality of Life in Kenya: Evidence from Machakos County

European Scientific Journal July 2017 edition Vol.13 Effect of Social Assistance Programmes on Improving Quality of Life in Kenya: Evidence from Machakos County Joshua Mutambu Ngelu 0 0 College of Human Resource Development Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology , Kenya This study investigates the effect of social assistance programmes on improving quality of life in Kenya - evidence from Machakos County. Probit model was applied to model the empirical analysis. The paper concludes that moderate households' awareness of available types of cash transfer. On the households' quality of life with reference to social assistance programmes, the study posits that households in receipt of bursary support, cash transfers for orphans and vulnerable children, and cash transfers to the elderly will report an improved life quality compared to their counterparts who have not received such transfers. Similar conclusion is arrived at for remittances receipts from relatives residing outside the County. The paper recommends application and scaling up of social assistance programmes to reduce poverty at county and national levels so that in turn can improve quality of life of households. This will go a long way in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Social assistance programmes; Cash transfers and Probit model - and social exclusion is understated (Barrientos & DeJong, 2006; Marcus 2006; UNDP 2006) . In Europe and North America, poverty reduction efforts through social assistance programmes begun after the Second World War and subsequently spread to Latin America and lately in the other continents. De Janvry, Sadoulet, and Vakis (2008), asserts that in the short-term, social assistance programmes serve as a social safety net that assists the chronic poor and vulnerable segments of the population in adjusting and coping with negative effects of various forms of shocks. By supporting income levels, these programmes ensure that poor families meet their immediate basic consumption needs (de la Briere and Rawlings 2006) . Further, (Samson et al, 2004) is of conclusion that for the households receiving Old Age Pension in South Africa, their labour force participation is higher by 11% to 12% compared to the households who do not receive such cash transfers. Similarly, In Swaziland the prospect of a guaranteed income through the Old Age Grant provides access to farm inputs on easy (concessionary) terms, and particularly through agricultural cooperatives and credit unions (Dlamini, 2007). In addition, (HelpAge, 2006) points out that in Lesotho, Old Age Pension leads to an average of 18% of the money being transferred towards creating jobs for other people. These programmes also aim to improve the health, nutrition, and education of young children in the short term and their income earning potential in the long-run, ultimately disrupting the intergenerational transmission of poverty. However, (Enrique, 2008) , notes that the overall consensus is that, in the short term, these programmes are more successful in decreasing the intensity of poverty than in lowering overall incidence. Ideal case studies on the effectiveness cash transfers as a form of social assistance programme in improving the livelihood of the beneficiaries can be traced in the larger Latin America countries with Mexico leading in the number of the case studies. In the case of Mexico, 30% of beneficiaries of cash transfer programmes experienced a decline in income poverty, according to Nigenda and González-Robledo (2005). Maluccio’s (2005) randomized evaluation of Social protection in Nicaragua revealed that among households affected by a coffee crisis, beneficiaries of the programme were able to maintain preprogramme expenditure levels, in contrast to a 22% decline among nonbeneficiary households in the same region. In Kenya, the National Gender and Equality Commission (2008) posit that household empowerment is positively correlated with social assistance programmes. More particularly, the number of dependents a beneficiary of a social assistance programme has in their household is correlated with effectiveness and efficiency of the cash transfer program on empowerment at the household level. It can be pointed out that much of the existing literature relevant to the study is on global basis and a few isolated cases on national and regional basis. In 2000 the international community declared its commitment to the eradication of poverty as part of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and later in 2016 among the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). At the regional level the African Union in 2013 launched Agenda 2063 as a “ call for action” to all segments of African society to work together to build a prosperous and united Africa (AU, 2013). It is in view of this Kenya Vision 2030 and the subsequent Medium term Plans has committed to reduce poverty in the country. To support poor households the Government of Kenya has set up pr (...truncated)


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Joshua Mutambu Ngelu. Effect of Social Assistance Programmes on Improving Quality of Life in Kenya: Evidence from Machakos County, European Scientific Journal, 2017, Volume 13, Issue 20,