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{
    "id": 1121794,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1121794/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 210,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Emurua Dikirr, KANU",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Kipyegon Ng’eno",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1453,
        "legal_name": "Johana Ngeno Kipyegon",
        "slug": "johana-ngeno-kipyegon"
    },
    "content": "A retiree should not find it hard to access medical attention. These are people who have worked so hard in this nation. The money that was used to build public hospitals and all the other things that we see today was realised through their effort while in public service. They are people who have worked so hard in Government to ensure that these facilities were properly put in place. So, when they are sick, it is not right for them not to access medication in hospitals because they do not have money. Therefore, we should merge pension schemes with medical insurance. I am requesting the Member for Kimilili to ensure that during the Committee of the whole House, he introduces amendments to merge pension schemes with medical insurance schemes for retirees so that employers can deduct monies for both schemes. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, payment of pensions, like the Mover has proposed, should be immediate. This is not money we are asking the Government to look for. These are monies which are deducted from employees’ salaries. The money is in the pension account. It should not be something that will take ages to recover. It is just like insurance money when you insure your motor vehicle or even your life. When you have bought a medical cover, if you fall sick and you go to hospital, you are attended to instantly. You get treated immediately because the money is there. When a motor vehicle is involved in an accident, the time taken to repair it or even have it replaced is usually between one month and three months. Why is it so easy to recover money from an insurance company in respect of a motor vehicle that gets involved in accident, or to have the motor vehicle repaired, and so difficult for someone who has worked so hard for his pension to access it upon retiring? We should strive to make pension schemes as efficient as insurance schemes, which honour their obligations almost instantly. I would also like to talk about the issue of cash transfers to elderly people. This was a very good scheme that emanated from the people who initiated it. The idea of cash transfers should be part of our laws because even the elderly who have not been working with the Government deserve to have at least something to assist them as they age. They should be able to meet their medical requirements. The main problem that elderly people face is inability to access medical care. Sometimes it is difficult for them to be treated in hospital because they have no money. If the elderly are assured of accessing the medical covers through these small cash transfers, then it will assist them in meeting their medical issues. I support this particular amendment. Apart from those who are retiring, there are also those who get sacked in the process of their duties. When somebody gets sacked, it should not be hard for them to get their pension because it is their money. It should not look like they are being criminalised for being sacked. The reason for their sacking should have nothing to do with pension. Therefore, when somebody gets sacked, they should be able to access their money within the same 90 days without necessarily looking at those other issues. I support."
}