A cash transfer helped Evans feed his family after losing his job to Covid-19

Evans Momanyi Mugambi is a 32-year-old father of four. He lives with his spouse and young children in Kibera. Before the Covid-19 pandemic struck, Mugambi used to work as a driver – transporting commercial goods and personal parcels for clientele who have since dissapeared.

“The coronavirus has really affected us people who do informal work. Before Corona, I would make around between 500 KES and 1000 KES per day. These days I make nothing” says Mugambi.

Mugambi also noted that the price of basic food staples has risen, citing the increased cost of maize flour from 100 KES to 130 KES.

Before the Coronavirus pandemic, the family of six would consume food worth 300 Ksh – including breakfast, lunch and supper for mom, dad and the four children, said Mugambi. Since the pandemic struck, the family has had to ration their meals to an average of one per day. For Mugambi and his spouse, this has meant sometimes foregoing eating altogether for the day to have enough to feed the children.

Evans Momanyi Mugambi Photo By Asha Jaffar / Oxfam in Kenya

One month after he lost his work due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Mugambi received KES 5641.5 from Consortium partners Oxfam in Kenya, The Kenya Red Cross Society, Concern Worldwide, ACTED, IMPACT.

Mugambi was among the 625 pilot cash transfer recipient households who received a total of KES 3,469,215 in April with the goal of covering 50% of their basic needs

The successful pilot was recently expanded, with the help of a €5 Million (KES 630,491,100) grant funded by the European Union to cover an estimated 80,000 vulnerable Kenyans in Nairobi informal settlements.

Evans Momanyi Mugambi Photo By Asha Jaffar / Oxfam in Kenya
 

“The money really helped us. We used it to buy food and household goods, and now that there is food and soap at home, it is easier to follow the government’s guidelines to stay at home” says Mugambi

Mugambi said that he is worried that he cannot afford his rent, and appeals to NGOs and the Government of Kenya to extend more support to informal workers who depend on scarce odd jobs to survive.

With the help of EU funding, NGOs Oxfam in Kenya, The Kenya Red Cross Society, Concern Worldwide, ACTED, IMPACT, CREAW and the Wangu Kanja Foundation have transferred Ksh KES 91,060,280.00 to date to 11,328 vulnerable families (an estimated 45,312 total people) in Nairobi informal settlements to help them afford basic necessities during the Covid-19 pandemic. Over the course of three months, the NGO consortium aims to transfer an 398,748,899 Ksh to 17,390 families (an estimated 69,560 people).