Elders in Siaya are appealing to the government to increase the monthly stipend they receive under the Inua Jamii programme to enable them to meet basic obligations.
The elders, through the Chairman of the Siaya County Older Persons Organisation (SCOPO), George Odhiambo Were, at the same time, challenged the government to come up with a law that will ensure that they are protected.
Speaking during this year’s International Day for the Older Persons held at Bar Ogong’o chief’s camp in South East Alego ward, Siaya, Mzee Odhiambo lamented that older persons in the country were not properly taken care of due to lack of proper legislation.
The celebrations were organised by Help Age International and the Kenya Society for People Living with Aids (KESPA).
Odhiambo said that old age comes with challenges such as illnesses, which require proper management.
“We are Kenyans who participate in various economic and social development programmes and pay taxes like the rest but face numerous challenges accessing government services and programmes,” he said.
Odhiambo urged the government to increase the monthly stipend from the current Sh2,000, which he said was too little.
He said most older people spend up to half the amount on transport to access the money, leaving them with very little to take home.
Addressing the occasion, South East Alego Member of the County Assembly, Mercedes Scholarstica Madowo, urged the government to focus on efforts that will guarantee the older persons security.
She lamented that incidents where the older persons are attacked are on the rise, necessitating the need for deliberate actions by the government to ensure their protection.
Madowo supported calls for increase of the monthly stipend and expansion of the programme to cover those not benefiting.
Siaya Deputy County Commissioner, Robert Ng’etich, who was the chief guest during the celebrations, challenged the society to respect the elders.
Ng’etich reiterated the government’s commitment to ensuring that older persons’ welfare was improved through better policies.
He cited the Social Health Authority and the Social Health Insurance Fund as some of the steps that the government was taking to ensure proper health care for them.
The DCC called on the older persons to be at the forefront of registration into the new health insurance scheme that, he added, had better benefits compared to its predecessor.
Ng’etich urged the older persons to appreciate the little that the government was giving them in monthly stipends but promised to upscale their requests for review to the appropriate offices.
By Philip Onyango
