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{
"id": 837317,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/837317/?format=api",
"text_counter": 243,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. (Rev.) Waqo",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 13178,
"legal_name": "Naomi Jilo Waqo",
"slug": "naomi-jilo-waqo"
},
"content": "Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker, for allowing me to support this important Bill. I congratulate Sen. Cheruiyot for bringing this important and relevant Bill. We are all products of parents and we also have children, who will at one time take care of us. There is nothing else we can give to the elderly in our society, as a gift in our time today, than this Bill. Madam Temporary Speaker, looking at our society, Kenya is blessed because we have different generations. However, the challenges that the elderly people go through are so huge that sometimes when we visit the villages, we just sympathise with these people. It is even worse for those people who live in the manyattas; the pastoralist communities, whose nature is to move from one place to another looking for green pasture for their animals. I am happy because you are one of the pastoralists and you understand what I am saying. Pastoralists keep moving on a weekly basis, and it is sometimes challenging to move your parents who are so old. We sometimes tie them at the back of the camel or donkey, and it is a very hard life. Therefore, Madam Temporary Speaker, when we talk of this Bill, it encourages me because it is only some of us who understand the deep challenges that some of the elderly people in the society go though. It is even worse when you think of the poor people, because with the little food they have, they do not know who to give it to. Should they give it to their children, grandchildren or their parents, who are also elderly and need their attention? I, therefore, support this Bill because of all the things that I have said. If the Senate passes this Bill and it is implemented, we can then be proud of what we have done in this House. Madam Temporary Speaker, I have looked at the Bill and I have seen that it is well captured. Part II of the Bill is on the Care and Protection of Older Members of Society; while Part III is on Care of Older Members of Society. As you go on, you will see provision for the care of older members of the society in homes and then there is monitoring, evaluation and safety in homes for older members of society. Sometimes even after putting up those good and well equipped homes, without monitoring, evaluation, taking care and ensuring safety, then we have not done much. When I looked at this Bill, I saw that it has catered for everything that the older people in our society require from us. Madam Temporary Speaker, during the olden days, people used to have a lot respect for the elderly in the society. They also used to tap a lot of wisdom from them. However, that is not the case today. With the selfishness and greed that people have, elderly people are exposed to a lot of danger. This is because some people even think of getting rid of them so that they can inherit the property they have. However, if we come up with such facilities, we would then have taken care of them. We will also take care of the temptation that may be there to eliminate them. I support this Bill because of all these reasons. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes"
}