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Lilian Akinyi Okumu:Kenyan woman acts for elder people in her country



I am a lawyer working in Nairobi, Kenya as a state counsel in the office of the Attorney General. My duties include, interalia, advising the government on criminal matters, advising police officers, and prosecuting criminal cases on behalf of the government. In the course of my duties, I realized that so many offenses are being committed against older people. It is against this background that the plight of the old piqued my interest, and I would like to see the myriad problems affecting the elderly addressed. A society that treats the elderly badly is a diseased society. The situation in our country concerning older people deteriorates everyday. The following are some of the problems and how they should be addressed. 

The situation of old people in Kenya: 

1. Economic
- No source of income owing to frailty;
- No pension or little for those who are pension able;
- No welfare system to cater to the old;
- Death due to HIV/Aids has placed a considerable strain on the old, as they look after the young left behind by their dead parents;
- No lobby group to fight for old people’s economic empowerment; 
- Vulnerable to cheats, charlatans who cheat them out of their property.

2. Social
- Many are abused sexually;
- Suffer physical violence from relatives, neighbors etc.;
- Loneliness, especially widowers / widows, as society looks down old people who get married – Wambui Otieno, a widow aged 67, faced a public outcry after marrying a 28 year old man, restricting her participation in some activities;
- Recreational facilities for the old are few and far between, forcing many to resort to alcohol and substance abuse;
- Lack of support groups that champion the welfare of old people;
- Looked down upon as belonging to a past age;
- No law to protect the interest of the old;
- Lack of civil awareness owing to illiteracy, etc.; 
- Do not participate in voting and other political, democratic processes;
- No proper representation in parliament and other state organs.

3. Health
- Suffer poor health aggravated by poverty and cannot afford proper medical care; 
- Prone to infections due to pathetic living conditions;
- Lack awareness of medical problems;
- No comprehensive medical insurance scheme in Kenya; 
- Lack of proper food, clean water, housing;
- Overburdened health facilities; 
- Technological challenges;
- Lack the requisite technological awareness;
- Cannot use mobile phones, computers, cannot access internet, telephone; 
- Don’t own television, radios, and are therefore out of touch with the rest of the world.

4. Solutions
- Enactment of law to protect the old; 
- Establishment of a comprehensive social security / welfare system;
- Awareness programmes - civil, economic, and political;
- Encourage lobby group for the old; 
- Establish more old people’s homes; 
- Establish old people’s clinics and dispensaries; 
- District council for the old.

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