NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 14-The government has released Sh1.8 billion in cash transfers to more than 133,000 vulnerable households across Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs), providing a critical financial lifeline as communities continue to grapple with recurring drought and food insecurity.The National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) announced on Monday that Sh1,802,260,800 has been credited to beneficiaries registered under the Hunger Safety Net Programme (HSNP), covering the February, March, April, May and June 2026 payment cycles.The funds have been disbursed to 133,484 poor and vulnerable households in eight drought-prone counties.They are: Turkana, Mandera, Wajir, Marsabit, Garissa, Samburu, Tana River and Isiolo through Equity Bank and Kenya Commercial Bank agents and branches.“The cash stipends form part of the Government’s broader push to shield drought-exposed households by providing critical consumption support, enabling them to buy food and other essentials and reducing distress sales of livestock and other productive assets during dry spells,” NDMA said.The latest disbursement forms part of the government’s broader strategy to cushion drought-affected communities from the devastating effects of prolonged dry spells by enabling households to purchase food and other essential commodities while preventing distress sales of livestock and productive assets.Each registered household receives an unconditional monthly stipend of Sh2,700 under the Hunger Safety Net Programme, one of the flagship social protection initiatives under the National Safety Net Programme, Inua Jamii, and a key pillar of the government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.Turkana County received the largest allocation, with Sh537.9 million disbursed to 39,843 households, underscoring the county’s high vulnerability to drought and food insecurity.Mandera followed with Sh299.2 million distributed to 22,168 households, while Marsabit received Sh275.5 million for 20,410 households and Wajir was allocated Sh259.2 million benefiting 19,170 households.Garissa received Sh124.8 million for 9,243 households, Samburu received Sh111.8 million for 8,286 households, Tana River received Sh99.4 million for 7,364 households, while Isiolo received Sh94.5 million benefiting 7,000 households.The NDMA said the programme remains central to the government’s commitment to ending drought emergencies by strengthening household resilience in Kenya’s most climate-vulnerable regions.The authority has advised beneficiaries experiencing delays or challenges accessing their payments to visit the nearest Equity Bank or Kenya Commercial Bank branch or contact county NDMA offices to update their records.The Hunger Safety Net Programme is a Vision 2030 flagship project supporting approximately 133,800 registered poor and vulnerable households across the eight ASAL counties.The programme uses a verified social registry and poverty-based targeting system to identify beneficiaries, to safeguard the constitutional right to freedom from hunger and access to adequate food as provided under Article 43 of the Constitution.