Kenya’s Deputy President William Ruto has ordered Kenya Police to protect the elderly and other vulnerable citizens against violent attacks by criminals.
Ruto said the government was concerned with the reported attacks against senior citizens in some sections of Kenya where communities regard the elderly, especially women, as witches.
“It is our duty to take care of the aged. We will also grow old and require care from the society,” said Ruto during a keynote speech in celebrations marking the International Day of Older
Persons, which was marked globally on October 1 but was celebrated on Thursday in Kenya.
“All security agencies in counties should guarantee the safety and security of all people and especially the old and vulnerable,” said Ruto.
Regarding the social and medical welfare of the aged, Ruto said that the government had set aside ksh7.3 billion (US$73million) to cater for the monthly cash transfers to the elderly in
order to ensure they lived a dignified life.
The Deputy President said that currently the government catered for at least 324,000 elderly people and intended to progressively increase the budget allocation in order to cover more senior citizens living in poverty.
He said that starting 2015, the government had decided to ensure that all elderly and vulnerable people accessed free medical care in public hospitals by paying the premiums for the government’s insurance cover National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF).
Noting that not all the elderly had been reached under this new medical scheme, Ruto said that the government would incrementally add more of the needy senior citizens on the medical
scheme.
The celebrations were held in Kisii County in Western Kenya, which is known for violent attacks on elderly people, whom some sections of the community consider to be witches.
Elder abuse is most rampant in Kilifi, Kwale, Nyamira, Kisii and Kirinyaga counties. To address the plight of older people, the government launched the first phase of older persons Cash
Transfer (OPCT) programme in 2006 as a pilot project.
Speaking at the same function, the Cabinet Secretary in charge of Social Services, Phyllis Kandie, said that the government would build old people’s homes in three counties in order to
provide them with a safe haven.
The United Nations notes that the global population of older persons is expected to rise from just over 900 million in 2015 to 1.4 billion by 2030 and 2.1 billion by 2050, when there will be
roughly the same the number of older persons and children under 15.
This year the UN has taken a firm stand against ageism by drawing attention to and challenging negative stereotypes and misconceptions about older persons and ageing.
The UN says that ageism is a widely prevalent and prejudicial attitude that stems from the assumption that age discrimination, and sometimes neglect and abuse of older persons is a
social norm and therefore, acceptable.
The UN notes that media representations that devalue and exclude older persons are rampant in many societies. Such discrimination shapes how older persons are treated and perceived by
their societies, including in medical settings and workplaces, creating environments that limit older persons’ potential and impact their health and well-being.
