MPs demand an explanation of HSNP

A parliamentary committee has expressed concerns over persistent delays in disbursing funds under the Hunger Safety Net Programme (HSNP).

The National Assembly Committee on Regional Development had summoned NDMA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Col. (Rtd.) Hared Adan to explain the delay, following a motion by Turkana South MP Dr Ariko Namoit, demanding the urgency around benefits owed to drought‑affected households.

Namoit condemned the delays and the plight of households left without support, and depend on such programmes.

“That families dependent on this lifeline have gone for nearly a year unpaid is unacceptable. This programme is not optional, it is a constitutional right. The National Treasury should prioritize social protection with urgency akin to infrastructure investments,” he said.

He insisted: “You cannot claim to uplift lives while drought‑stricken Kenyans starve.”

But Adan explained that chronic scarcity of funds had severely hampered the NDMA’s ability to deliver monthly payments on schedule.

During the Financial Year 2024/2025, he said the HSNP was allocated Sh1.5 billion in the printed estimates, but this fell significantly short of the programme’s validated budget requirement of Sh5.47 billion needed to cover monthly transfers to all 133,800 affected and vulnerable beneficiaries for the entire financial year.

He said that despite this constraint, the Authority prioritized the available funds to ensure partial continuity of the programme.

The allocation successfully facilitated full payroll for the months of July, August, and September 2024, each covering all 133,800 beneficiaries in the eight counties of Turkana, Marsabit, Samburu, Isiolo, Wajir, Mandera, Garissa and Tana River.

There was also a partial payroll for October 2024, covering 117,624 beneficiaries (Garissa, Tana River, Isiolo, Samburu, Marsabit, Mandera, Wajir and part of Turkana County (Loima (6,351), Turkana North (6,836), Turkana East (3,752) and Turkana South (6,750) Constituencies and the allocation was exhausted after these payments.

“The payrolls for the remaining eight months of Financial Year 2024/2025 could not be implemented. This resulted in accrued arrears of Sh3.9 billion owed to the programme’s beneficiaries,” he explained.

Cognizant of the severe impact this would have on vulnerable households, the  CEO said the Authority presented a formal appeal to the National Treasury, through the State Department for ASALs and Regional Development, for allocation of additional funds through the Supplementary Budget Estimates of the Financial Year 2024/25.

However, this appeal was unsuccessful, which has seen the programme unable to offset the substantial arrears that have accumulated.

Other than the budget shortfall that has led to delay in disbursements, he told the committee that the challenge is further compounded by other factors including reclassification of the vote

“From the Financial Year 2023/2024, the HSNP budget was reclassified from a development to a recurrent vote. The intended positive outcome of this move was to enable smoother monthly and timely disbursements aligned with exchequer release cycles. However, with a severely reduced overall allocation, the monthly exchequer releases were limited to tranches of approximately Sh125 million against a monthly requirement of Sh456 million. This fundamental mismatch is the direct cause of the delays and the necessity for partial, staggered payments,” he explained.

Other issues included partial payroll processing.

According to Adan, the inadequate monthly exchequer releases forced NDMA to make difficult operational decisions, often resulting in beneficiaries being paid in turns rather than simultaneously, which has led to perceived delays and inequities in disbursement.

Similarly, he spoke of unpredictable funding flows, with Adan saying the uncertainty around the size and timing of exchequer releases disrupted financial planning and undermined the very principle of "predictable" support that is central to the programme's design.

“Our ongoing efforts are focused on intensifying advocacy with the National Treasury and Parliament for the allocation of the full Sh5.47 billion required for the HSNP in the Financial Year 2025/2026 budget and additional Sh3.9 billion to clear the programme arrears for the financial year 2024/2025 and ensure seamless future payments,” he said.