Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata has distanced himself from claims that he is running an incentive program aimed at increasing the population of the county.

Kang’ata was responding to a post on X (formerly Twitter) by media personality Maina Kageni, who had written a thought-provoking piece regarding the initiative dubbed Kang’ataCare.

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In his words, the post read:

“Have you seen Kang’ataCare in Murang’a County? Paying Sh10,000 for couples to marry and a further Sh10,000 for every child they get. How good is this incentive? How many children should married couples have? King’ang’i says ‘Kila mtoto anakuja na sahani yake..’ Your thoughts? Talk to me.”

The post triggered a flurry of online reactions. Some users felt the initiative would promote unchecked births and increase poverty levels, while others praised it as a bold step to revive the declining population in the region.

Here are a few reactions:

• @HumphreyMburu – The care service should be named Murang’a Care rather than Kang’ataCare.

• @Nya_richie – You are just promoting poverty wewe. Nonsense.

• Flex – The population of the mountain is dwindling, except for Meru.

• Mwangi Collins – This is good work. The population in Murang’a has been declining. I once went there for a burial from Nairobi, and we had to dig the grave ourselves—no one was around to help.

• K Maina – We like faulting anything positive. What’s the issue with the incentive?

• Suedoc – Back in 2014, Murang’a had a similar initiative under Governor Mwangi wa Iria. He gave Sh2,500 for each antenatal clinic visit to boost birth rates. It worked.

• @snoopykenya – What’s wrong with birthrate incentives?

• @ibrahim_koina – Keep up the good work.

• @TI_Voice – Voting machines.

  In a quick rejoinder, Governor Kang’ata clarified that the program was not meant to boost the population but rather to support vulnerable households in the county who are registered under Kang’ataCare.

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“Clarification: 1. The aim of the programme is not to increase the population of Murang’a. 2. The benefits are open only to Kang’ataCare members. Not every Murang’a resident is a Kang’ataCare cardholder. 3. This is an insurance for vulnerable families that has 3 benefits—last expense (Sh100,000) after a member passes on; Sh10,000 wedding support; and a childbirth gift. 4. Let us not misrepresent the facts,” he wrote.

Bizna Kenya understands that Kang’ataCare targets over 31,400 needy households, with the goal of enrolling them in the Social Health Authority (SHA). The program is scheduled to run through December 2025, aiming to provide quality healthcare access to beneficiaries without financial strain.

Those already registered under other government-backed insurance programs—such as the State Department of Social Protection Health Insurance Programme—are not eligible for this initiative.

Households are selected by community health workers in consultation with ward administrators. The cover includes both inpatient and outpatient services. Additionally, the last expense benefit is Sh100,000 for the principal member and Sh50,000 for parents.