Legislation to protect the ageing citizens Remains in Limbo.
Nairobi, Kenya
By Nelly Moraa
Calls to protect and uphold the rights of Kenya’s older persons are now being reignited. HelpAge International convened a forum with journalists to advocate for the acceleration of legislation to safeguard older persons’ dignity and well-being.
Ambassador Kinuthia WA Mwangi chairs the technical working group on advancing ageing which is a voluntary team assisting HelpAge International in actualizing the needs and issues around older persons in Kenya.
He urged media collaboration on public awareness and lobbying to hasten legislation that upholds the dignity of older persons as provided under Article 57 of the constitution.
“A society that respects and protects its older persons secures its own future. Aging is not a choice-it is a journey we all take. Aging needs to be embraced with dignity and inclusion. If we fail to put structures in place today, we risk condemning ourselves to a future of neglect and vulnerability.”
Kenya has grappled with the challenge of enacting legislation to protect older persons. In 2014, the National Policy on Older persons and Aging laid the foundation for government intervention. However, translating the policy into law appears slow.
The Social Assistance Act of 2013 provided for cash transfers under the Inua jamii program of Kshs2000 monthly stipend. This figure is not only low but has in the recent past been inaccessible to a number of older persons.
At the heart of the legislative push is a grim reality; older persons in Kenya continue to face systemic discrimination, poor health care, financial insecurity and sometimes neglect from both their families and society. Access to the monthly stipend is full of bureaucratic tape and costly, forcing beneficiaries to travel kilometers to government headquarters to process it.
Rose Bwire of HelpAge International cited income security as one of the key challenges older persons faces.
“Poverty is one of the key challenges that older people face, it so happens that at the point you are joining this cohort of older people, at the point you need a lot of money; it also happens to be the point where your source of income is stopped. At 60 no insurance company is willing to offer you medical insurance for fear you will wipe the cover clean.”
The function also highlighted an overlooked aspect of aging-ageism. Older persons face discrimination in professional space and experience subtle but damaging forms of discrimination.
The irony as noted by Rose Bwire is that “we are all aging, so this conversation concerns us all”.
She said there is urgent need to act now to safeguard the rights and dignity of older persons and address the widening inter-generational gap that disadvantages older persons.
“Aging should not be synonymous with struggle and isolation. Instead, it should be embraced as a phase of life that deserves respect, care, and full participation in society’.
She encouraged the younger generation who have older persons under their care to spend quality time with them and equip them a smartphone for them keep abreast with trends and technology.
HelpAge International is working with partners like ED Ageing Concern Foundation, and La Vie Foundation to lobby for the prioritization of the passage of the Older Persons Bill. Beyond legislation, the group says there is an urgent need for the society to embrace aging, encouraging an intergenerational dialogue, awareness campaigns and stronger policy frameworks to bridge the growing gap between young and old.
It is working with the media council of Kenya in advocacy to take the conversation to the communities, workplaces, and homes.
More information on its activities can be found on its website www.helpage.org
