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{
    "id": 741897,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/741897/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 162,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Prof.) Lonyangapuo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 447,
        "legal_name": "John Krop Lonyangapuo",
        "slug": "john-lonyangapuo"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I thank my colleague from Homa Bay County, which is north of West Pokot County. It is quite important to make sure that the Pensions Act governs pensions of our retired officers because the process they go through when they retire is very frustrating. When they are active in the service, they are valuable to the nation. They are paid and awarded titles of recognition on time. They are also given opportunities to express themselves. However, the opposite of this happens the moment they retire from the service. This unfortunate thing happens in third world countries although Kenya is now slowly moving to a middle income country. For example, retired teachers were valuable when they were still working. However, the moment they stop working, they became completely irrelevant. Today you see them queueing from one Government office to another, in search of their benefits and other services. We need to implement The County Pension Scheme Bill so that we can take care of the people who made us proud. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, The County Pension Scheme Bill should also cater for the uniformed officers who suddenly become beggars the moment they retire. The worst of all are officers who die in the line of duty because it becomes hard for their loved ones to access their benefits to cater for school fees and other needs. It is a nightmare. I hope that this Bill will address how these hiccups will be removed so that the retired officers are assisted easily after retirement. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, lastly, the beneficiaries of retirees are the most affected. The other day I read in the newspapers about teachers who retired many years ago and have formed a club to seek for support. They look back at the memorable times when they brought up senior citizens in Kenya like us and others in the national Government. This Bill should address how they can look-up to their retirement fund and the other benefits they will get instead of being frustrated. The other day, councilors were also seeking for assistance. The County Pension Scheme Bill should provide other benefits for retirees, for example, to enable them to access facilities in their former places of work just like the way former parliamentarians get parking and catering services when they visit Parliament. This Bill should address the welfare of civil servants after they retire from the service. In short, we should not waste the brains of Kenyans who have served this nation by making them irrelevant. We should make them useful so that they can appreciate their motherland until the time when they will retire completely from this world."
}