Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 46582,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/46582/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 325,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Dr. Shaban",
    "speaker_title": "The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Development",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 139,
        "legal_name": "Naomi Namsi Shaban",
        "slug": "naomi-shaban"
    },
    "content": " Thank you very much, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to also contribute to this Motion. I wish that the hon. Member who came up with this idea could have sat down with the implementing Ministries. The truth is that the Government already has a policy on older persons and it is implementing it. Unfortunately, the funds which are available are not enough to cover the whole country. The Kshs1,500 is not cast in stone but it is money which will be scaled up. We do appreciate that although the Kshs1,500 can help the elderly persons a little, it has not been able to cover most of their expenses. We intend, as the Government, to cover the whole country, because this scheme is supposed to be universal. Considering the fact that several other programmes are in place, including the Orphaned and Vulnerable Children (OVC) programme, which cover over 115 districts in our country, and which started with very few districts--- In fact, it started from just a few households but it has grown now and we cover very many beneficiaries. Although the OVC programme just covers a few beneficiaries, one of the criteria used in identifying and targeting the beneficiaries is the issue of having an older person in the family. This is because most of these OVC are being taken care of by their grandparents. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I appreciate the frustration of hon. Members hoping that the whole country should have been covered – and that is the intention of the Government – but unfortunately, we have to bear with the Treasury where the funds come from. We have been asking for the scaling up of the funds and we hope that in the next financial year, a little more money will be added. In fact, we have asked for the money to be doubled from the Kshs530 million that they have given us to slightly over Kshs1 billion. The hon. Member who has brought this Motion, has added something else. He has gone down to the age. We have been dealing with 65 years and above, but he has increased the bracket of the age group to cover the 60 year olds. Some funds have also been availed for the disabled persons. Again, priority is also given to the elderly persons. I do appreciate and understand that the 44 districts which are covered do not cover the whole country. We should be able to add some people in that safety net in the next financial year. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, on the problems that we had in 2008 and having increased the number of Ministries that we have in this country, it means that most of the money from the"
}