Murang’a County’s Governor Irungu Kang’ata has unveiled the “Inua Mkulima Agenda,” featuring a unique ATM model designed to offer financial assistance to constituents. Through this initiative, the county aims to empower farmers, enabling them to pay school fees for their children.
Governor Kang’ata explained during an interview that the program utilizes an e-voucher system, where the county government loads funds onto ATM cards for farmers to utilize at selected merchant shops and for paying school fees.
The program currently supports 20,000 enrolled farmers, with the county disbursing Ksh 2,400 every three months to program participants.
Kang’ata elaborated on the e-voucher model, describing it as an electronic wallet where money is loaded and distributed to registered farmers via the ATM card. Pre-vetted shops allow farmers to access various essential goods and services using the card.
Farmers present their ATM card and identification details to merchants, generating a One-Time Password (OTP) for accessing services.
To ensure program integrity, Kang’ata emphasized the importance of farmer registration with cooperatives.
While the initiative aims to expand its reach in the coming years, Kang’ata acknowledged challenges such as registration errors, which the county is actively addressing.
The system marks an improvement over previous direct fund disbursement methods, enhancing accessibility and convenience for farmers.
