Governor Addresses Paying Couples Ksh10,000 To Marry & Another For Each Child They Get

Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata has spoken about the Ksh10,000 incentives dished out to newlywed couples and another Ksh10,000 for each child born, dismissing claims that the county’s incentives are aimed at boosting the population ahead of the 2027 elections.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, April 15, Kang’ata clarified that the initiative is part of Kang’ata Care, a health insurance programme designed to support vulnerable households in Murang’a County.

He stressed that these benefits are exclusive to registered Kang’ata Care members and not available to the general public. The program currently offers three key benefits: Ksh100,000 in the event of a family member’s death, Ksh10,000 for newlyweds, and an additional Ksh10,000 childbirth gift.

Murang'a Governor Irung'u Kang'ata speaking on March 22, 2025. /IRUNG'U KANG'ATA

"Clarification: The aim of the programme is not to increase the population of Murang’a. The benefits are open only to Kangata Care members," he responded on X.

"Not every Muranga resident is a Kangatacare card member. This is an insurance for vulnerable families that has 3 benefits- last expense 100k after a member passes on; a 10k wedding, and a childbirth gift."

The clarification came in response to comments by media personality Maina Kageni, who had raised concerns over the program’s intent.

"Have you seen 'Kang'ata Care' in Murang'a County? Paying sh.10,000 for couples to marry and a further sh.10,000 for every child they get. How good is this incentive? How many children should married couples have?" he earlier posed.

Kang’ata urged that the scheme not be misrepresented, insisting it is a health-based support initiative, not a tool for population engineering.

This follows a post made by the governor on April 14 via his official X (formerly Twitter) account, inviting newly married Kang’ata Care beneficiaries to collect their respective gifts.

“Are you in Kang'ata Care, and have you officially wedded? Claim your gift in our Muranga office located at Muranga Level 5. It is your right, paid for under insurance arrangements. Congratulations to the happy couple, Kanyenyaini Kangema Ngoeini Village,” the post read.

Murang'a County has been in the headlines before as far as relationships are concerned. A report by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) on January 17, 2023, put the county at the top of the rankings of the average number of sexual partners in their lifetime, across both genders.

Men in Murang'a County were found to have an average of 14.1 sexual partners while women had an average of 3.3 sexual partners, for a county with a population of over 1 million, based on data from the 2019 census. In comparison, the number of men in the county with sexual partners was deemed to be more than that of the entire country, with the average revealed to be 7.4 over women's 2.3.

The county also topped in the percentage of women with multiple sexual partners, more than anywhere else in Kenya, with a cumulative of 11 per cent. It was followed by 6.5 per cent from Kericho County and 6.2 per cent from Busia County. 

With these statistics, Murang'a was deemed to be the serial cheating capital of the whole country, making Kang'ata's monetary incentive as of now a bit hard to come by.

A couple in bed. /FILE