Project Components

Component 1: Strengthening Social Protection Delivery Systems

This component supports the enhancement of the existing Social Protection delivery systems established under the NSNP and aims to further merge the Consolidated Cash Transfer Programme (CCTP) under the State Department of Social Protection (SDSP), and HSNP under the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA), within a consistent and coherent delivery system. Key project activities are:

• Enhanced Single Registry: KSEIP seeks to support gradual expansion and enhancement of functionality ofthe existing Single Registry, by adding a social registry module. The new registry would cover up to 50 percent of all Kenya households that can be identified as potential beneficiaries of social protection or other poverty-targeted interventions. The Enhanced Single Registry (ESR) is a system that has been developed to increase efficiency in the administration of social protection programmes in line with the National Social Protection Policy and the Vision 2030. The ESR will consolidate information from the different management information systems (MIS) for the cash transfer programmes that are currently operated independently by different departments and ministries. The Registry will provide reliable and up to date data on individual and household characteristics of actual and potential beneficiaries, and accurate and analytical reports on the performance of the social protection sector. The Single Registry is a web portal that allows anyone with internet access to gather key statistics regarding the programs that are linked.

• Integrated Grievance & Case Management Mechanism: KSEIP supports decentralized implementation and enhancements in the NSNP Grievance and Case Management (G&CM) mechanism. The HSNP G&CM mechanism is operated in a decentralised manner. The CCTP-MIS G&CM module was developed and made operational at the national level in 2019.

• New Payment Solution for NSNP: The SDSP is rolling out the new payment solution as part of an expansion of the OPCT. The aim is to gradually roll out this mechanism to cover all beneficiaries under the CCTP managed by the SDSP. This mechanism would also be used to deliver cash payments for KSEIP activities. The project supports among others, continued roll out of the new payment solution, enhanced management including fiduciary controls, and necessary updates in the MIS payment module.

Institutional and Capacity Strengthening: Financing will be provided to enable effective oversight of project implementation, and strengthen fiduciary systems, safeguards, beneficiary outreach and communication, and monitoring and evaluation (M&E). This includes support for capacity building, trainings, and technical assistance related to overall institutional capacity. Special effort would be made to implement safeguards measures, as per the Vulnerable and Marginalized Groups Framework (VMGF) developed for KSEIP, to enable the project to effectively identify Vulnerable and Marginalized Groups and ensure that they are considered in targeting exercises as relevant, and that their participation in KSEIP activities is monitored.

Component 2: Strengthening Social Protection Delivery Systems

This component would contribute to the Government of Kenya’s goal of UHC by establishing and supporting a functional referral mechanism to improve NSNP beneficiaries’ access to the NHIF and expand nutrition-sensitive safety net services to additional counties. It would also support the testing of GoK-led economic inclusion models for targeted households (NSNP beneficiaries and others) to improve their welfare and self-sufficiency. As such, it is well positioned to build human capital, a key priority of the Government and World Bank. Key project activities are:

• Expansion of Nutrition-Sensitive Safety Net: Nutrition Improvement through Cash and Health Education (NICHE) programme is being implemented in five counties as one of the innovations under KSEIP to improve the nutritional status of children in the first 1,000 days of life. It complements NSNP and provides additional cash transfers and intense nutritional counselling to beneficiary households with pregnant woman or children under the age of two. Associated through a Government-led and executed KSEIP Grant financed by the FCDO, UNICEF is providing an extensive technical support to design and establish foundational systems and mechanisms for NICHE implementation at national and county levels. Under KSEIP, the SDSP would expand NICHE to four additional counties (Kilifi, Marsabit, Turkana and West Pokot) and continue scale up in Kitui county., This expansion will benefit approximately 138,600 individuals in 23,500 households.

• Systematic Access of NSNP Beneficiaries to NHIF: KSEIP will support a systematic collaboration between the SDSP, Ministry of Health (MoH) and NHIF, and invest in the information systems to facilitate enhanced access and enrollment of NSNP beneficiaries in the NHIF. Development of this structured referral mechanism would build on a formal agreement between SDSP, MoH and NHIF, which is already in progress for the Single Registry complementary services module under the NSNP.

Economic Inclusion Programme: Implemented in five counties, this KSEIP financed innovation aims to improve access of extremely poor households to skills, productive inputs, assets, finance, and economic opportunities for at least 7,500 beneficiaries.

Component 3: Improving the Shock Responsiveness of Safety Net System

This component would support the NDMA to expand HSNP coverage and improve the shock responsiveness of the safety net system, including financing arrangements for timely support to vulnerable households affected by climate-induced risks.