Before another cash grant, clean up the list

Mar 14, 2026 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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(Kaieteur News) – There is nothing wrong with giving citizens a cash grant. In fact, many Guyanese welcomed the government’s decision to distribute the G$100,000 grant to every adult.

At a time when the cost of living remains high, that money helped many families pay bills, buy groceries, and handle urgent expenses. But if the government plans to undertake another mass distribution, it must first clean up and verify the database from the last exercise. Otherwise, the same problems will repeat themselves.

During the previous distribution, more than 600,000 persons were registered to receive the grant. That number immediately raised eyebrows. The figures simply do not align with what we know about the adult population in Guyana.

According to the 2012 census, Guyana had roughly 470,000 persons aged 18 years and over. Even if we account for population growth since then, the number of adults living in Guyana should not suddenly jump to over 600,000. That is a massive difference.

The voting figures also raise questions. In the 2025 elections, about 438,000 valid votes were cast. Elections typically attract a large turnout because voting is seen as a civic duty. If only about 438,000 people voted, how could more than 600,000 persons suddenly appear to collect a cash grant?

The gap between these numbers suggests that something went wrong during the registration process.

Many people reported that overseas-based Guyanese flew into the country, registered for the cash grant, and then returned abroad. Some came back later to collect their money. Others reportedly collected it while they were here. While every Guyanese has a connection to this country, the cash grant should have been intended to help people living here. who are facing the daily cost of living.

If more than 120,000 overseas-based Guyanese registered for the grant, that undermines the entire exercise. The more people added to the list, the more the available resources are stretched. In simple terms, the bigger the list becomes, the smaller the benefit to those who actually live here.

There is also another serious possibility: duplicate registrations.

Many persons believe that some persons may have registered more than once using different forms of identification. Someone could have registered using their national ID card and then attempted to register again using a passport. Without proper safeguards in place, such loopholes can easily be exploited since the names on both documents could have been different.

If that happened on a large scale, it would mean that thousands of payments went to the same individuals multiple times. That would amount to a massive waste of public funds.

Before embarking on another round of cash grants, the government must therefore take the time to scrub the existing database. Every name on that list should be carefully checked and validated.

This is where modern technology can help. The government has already begun collecting fresh biometric data as part of its digital ID card initiative. Biometrics — such as fingerprints or facial recognition — make it much harder for individuals to register multiple times under different identities.

If biometric verification had been used during the last exercise, duplicate registrations could have been largely eliminated. That technology should now be used to clean up the existing database before any new distribution takes place.

The government should also introduce a clear cut-off date for eligibility. Without such a rule, overseas-based Guyanese may simply fly into the country whenever they wish, sign up, and then leave again. That creates an unfair situation for residents who live and work in Guyana year-round.

Another important step would be to publicly explain how the verification process will work. Transparency builds confidence. Citizens need to know that proper checks are in place and that public money is being managed responsibly.

The cash grant is funded from national resources, including revenues from the oil sector. Those resources belong to all Guyanese. But that does not mean the system should be left open to abuse.

A programme of this scale requires careful management. If the list is inflated with duplicates or excessive non-resident claimants, then the integrity of the entire exercise is compromised.

The government still has time to correct this. Instead of rushing into another mass registration, it should first audit and validate the existing database. Clean the list. Remove duplicates. Apply biometric verification.

Once that is done, the country can proceed with a new distribution that is fair, credible, and properly managed.

Guyanese support programmes that help ordinary people. But they also expect accountability. If another cash grant is to be distributed, it must be done properly — and that begins with fixing the list.

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• cash grant, cost-of-living, Guyana census, Peeping Tom

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