Blessed is that country that cares about the most vulnerable in society; the poor, the old, people with special needs, among others. It is only through taking care of the lowest in the pyramid that a country goes forward.
A country with a revamped and working social protection system is often more advanced in terms of economic development as well as a population that is free from social problems that might cause economic stagnation.
Kenya has been trying to put in place policies that would ensure that the most vulnerable are taken care of. Programs such as the Inua Jamii Program that remits stipends to the elderly as well as to those with special needs are worth every needed support.
Read Also: Revolutionizing The Kenyan Social Welfare Through Alleviate
However, the program has often faced numerous challenges, among them the collection and storage of data. The program is done in the most archaic and manual way, hence prone to loss of data and inability to follow up for future references.
During this year’s Annual Tax Summit hosted by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), social protection was sampled as one of the initiatives that can empower societies and increase their purchasing power, hence more revenue for the government.
During a recent media interview, Corporates and SME Cabinet Secretary Mr. Simon Chelugui, the inability to collect and store accurate data was the main challenge the government was facing in supporting and empowering SMEs.
There have been calls for the government to embrace digitized such as Alleviate that eliminate virtually all the challenges; from identifying genuine cases, to storing data, as well as distribution of funds.
Through mobile devices and web applications, field workers can directly input data, ensuring real-time updates and minimizing the risk of duplication or misinformation.
With Alleviate, the government and other organizations can collect, verify, and update data on beneficiaries of various social programs, such as cash transfers, health insurance, and education subsidies.
Read Also: Why The Kenyan Government Needs to Alleviate To Better The Inua Jamii Program