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"content": "old. Sen. G.G. Kariuki is over 70 years old, but you can see that he is active. Do not think that he is active because of the big money he has. He is active because he has led a good life. He is at peace with himself. Had he been a thief, like some of the Ministers who worked under President Moi, the poor man would have long developed high blood pressure and would, probably, be dead as I speak. Therefore, let us change the number of years to 70 as a compromise. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I look at Clauses 3,4, 5 and 6 which speak to guiding principles, rights of senior citizens, obligations of the national Government and county governments in respect to the rights of senior citizens, respectively and I have no problem with them. However, as you move on to Clause 7 which in a very subtle way introduces something which is un-African. This is where I have a problem with this Bill. The issue that the professor is quietly trying to introduce in Clause 7(d) where he talks about the establishment of residential care centres, social centres and other facilities for the care of senior citizens within the county in accordance with this Bill. I propose that we delete Clause 7(d) and 7(e). I will be expounding on the reasons why. We cannot fault the entire Clause 7. It is good, especially when it speaks to the promotion and prevention of exploitation and abuse of senior citizens. When you look at Part III, that talks of the care of senior citizens. For us to debate this particular part, you need to ask yourself what a senior citizen needs. In my view, a senior citizen in Kenya needs the following four things; housing, food, clothing and medical care. You can buy or hire those things as long as you have economic empowerment. This is where our efforts should be directed. We should empower senior citizens so that they have access to housing, food, clothing and medical care for themselves. However, there is a fifth need which overrides all of them; a senior citizen needs love. I have practiced medicine and I know what love is to a child, and it is not comparable to what it is to a senior citizen. You can give a senior citizen the best house, food and medical care. However, if that man or woman senses that nobody loves them, they break down while a child does not. Therefore, for a Professor of Medicine to suggest that we create a situation in Kenya where we remove our aged people from the seat and environment of love and take them to some silly place called “an old people’s home”, it is an affront to our African culture. He wants to kill our old people; to let them die from depression and starvation, not because food is not there, but because they will refuse to eat. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I speak with a degree of experience. My father died at the age of 88 years. The man was blind in the last five years of his life. I spoke about my brother who was born when my father was 65 years old. Unfortunately, that young brother of mine, developed a medical condition that made me to make a conscious decision that we were punishing him by taking him to formal school so he just mingled in my family. The young man, Antony, for those five years ended up doing more for our father than all of us with our degrees and education. This is because he is the one who became his eyes. My father would wake up beaming because he knew as he was directed to where he would sit the whole day, my young brother, Antony, would have adjusted his tie. When he felt like going to the toilet, he would direct him and even helped in feeding by pointing out where the ugali, chicken and green vegetables were on his plate. Because 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."
}