Ruto Directs Urgent Enrollment of Minority Communities Into Cash Transfer Programmes
President William Ruto has directed the State Department for Social Protection to immediately register and enroll eligible families from Kenya’s minority and marginalized communities into existing cash transfer programmes. The move is intended to improve household resilience and restore dignity among groups that have long faced social and economic exclusion.
The directive was issued on Thursday, December 18, 2025, during the International Minorities Day celebrations held at State House, Nairobi. Addressing the event, President Ruto emphasized the need for swift action to ensure that vulnerable families are included in government support systems without further delay.
According to the President, the enrolment will focus on communities that have historically experienced land dispossession, cultural erosion, and limited access to public services. These include hunter-gatherer groups such as the Ogiek, Sengwer, Yaaku, Sanye, Waata, Dorobo, Elmolo, and Malakote, many of whom have suffered significant loss of ancestral land.
The programme will also extend to linguistic minorities like the Suba and Terik, whose languages face the risk of extinction. Coastal communities, including Arabs and the Pemba—some of whom have struggled with statelessness—are also covered under the directive. Pastoralist groups living in arid and semi-arid regions, such as the Somalis, Maasai, and Samburu, are among the intended beneficiaries.
Beyond cash transfers, President Ruto announced additional measures aimed at addressing long-standing inequalities. He revealed the creation of a Ksh 500 million National Minority Scholarship Programme to support children from indigent families within marginalized communities in accessing secondary and tertiary education.
The government will also cover Social Health Authority contributions for 200,000 vulnerable individuals drawn from these communities. In addition, the President directed that Ksh 200 million be allocated annually to an Education Infrastructure Fund to support the construction and upgrading of schools in marginalized areas.
During the event, which was attended by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, President Ruto further announced that the Minority and Marginalized Affairs Unit within the Office of the President has been elevated to a semi-autonomous agency. The new directorate will be responsible for coordinating and implementing interventions for minority and marginalized communities across government.
The President concluded by stating that all Cabinet Secretaries and Principal Secretaries have been instructed to incorporate these measures into their 2026–2027 budget estimates, signaling a broader effort to embed minority inclusion into national planning and financing.
