Banks asked to treat aged persons seeking services with compassion

Financial institutions handling cash transfer programmes for the aged and vulnerable children have been urged to serve the beneficiaries with compassion.
Murang’a County Commissioner, Mr. John Elung’ata has requested bank attendants to give priority in serving the aged people as they may not have strength to queue for long, as they await their to be served.
Citing past incidences where aged people have been crowding banking halls waiting to be given their monthly stipends, Elung’ata observed that many of the beneficiaries suffer from various ailments and experience a lot of pain while in banks.
Speaking on Friday when he accompanied officers from social services department in event to register older people from Murang’a to banking services, the commissioner noted the aged only visits banks when their cash is released by the government, and thus should be served promptly.
The government has partnered with four local banks,including KCB, Cooperative, Equity and Post Banks to handle cash transfers for the aged persons, people with severe disability and vulnerable children.
“I appeal to banking institutions to move out from their ordinary schedule and serve our aged people with urgency, so as they may not waste a lot of time waiting in banks,” added Elung’ata.
In the county more than 15, 000 beneficiaries of the cash transfer were not being paid through banks with government issuing directive to all aged people to be registered with banks.
Murang’a Director of Social Services, Mr. Stephen Mugo said those who are going to be put under bank payments are the ones selected during President’s Kibaki’s era,whose cash stipends were channeled through the department.
“Registering the beneficiaries with banks will enable them to have ATM cards to facilitate in accessing their money at their convenient time unlike earlier when they were forced to come once their stipends are released by the government,” added Mugo.
The director advised the banks to get correct details of the beneficiaries as a small error could occasion one to miss his or her money.
By Bernard Munyao