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"content": "wisdom in the society. But nowadays, because of the digital complications, the elderly are no longer respected because of their wisdom. They are actually learning about these gadgets from their children, even some who are in primary school. You will find a grandmother consulting a primary school girl about how to handle M-Pesa or mobile phone. This is reducing the intellectual status of the elderly in our society. But despite the command of the technicals regarding these new digital gadgets, there is still a lot of wisdom which is not captured in the I-pads, and that is, morality, culture and history of our society, that is still in the minds of the elderly. So, the elderly still have a place in our society, as custodians of wisdom in terms of our morality and culture, and they should be respected for that. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I support the Motion because the time has come for us to develop a comprehensive policy. Just like the charter on the rights of the child, we should have a charter on the rights of the elderly. A lot of thinking has gone into developing those charters. I remember in 1980s, we participated in developing the African Charter on the Rights of the Child, which we sold it to other African Governments through the then Organization of African Union (OAU). It was accepted by the entire continent. So, I think that the time has come for us to develop the African charter on the rights of the elderly. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, what are those rights of the elderly? Human rights do not just fall from the sky. They protect human dignity, economic and social wellbeing of human beings. The greatest challenge of the elderly, from where I stand, is the area of health. As you approach your exit gate, various things happen to you. When you talk to doctors, they will tell you that nobody just dies. You die of cancer, high blood pressure complications, high blood sugar and such things. Indeed, one of the pastors told us that there is no standard death, but God always gives you notice that you are going to die. If you have black hair and see it turning grey, then that is notice that you are on your way. If you were walking very fast and now you can hardly walk up the stairs, that is notice that you are approaching your maker, and so you start preparing. If you were very healthy and now have one condition or another, that is also notice that God is giving you that you are going. All these notices are concentrated on the elderly. I think that, that is the greatest challenge that we have in the society. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, if you ask me about the most fundamental right for the elderly in this country, it is the right to health. The people who are above 70 years are not very many. So, there is no reason why we cannot even pass a law, as a Senate, to say that every Kenyan who reaches the age of 70 should be treated in all our hospitals for free, irrespective of their condition. There is no reason, even if that is not possible, we cannot request the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF), to which everybody is contributing, to provide for comprehensive treatment or medical cover for all the people who are 70 years old and above in this country. So, when we prepare that charter, I believe that health should be the first thing that we should consider. What my colleague, Sen. Ndiema, said about food and shelter is also very important, but to me, health is critical. People are spending all their lives making savings, but just one dialysis treatment takes away half of those savings. So, I think that we should reduce that burden of very expensive medical care in old age from the backs of our people. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}