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{
    "id": 971150,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/971150/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 240,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mwingi West, WDM-K",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Charles Nguna",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13445,
        "legal_name": "Charles Ngusya Nguna",
        "slug": "charles-ngusya-nguna"
    },
    "content": "I have too many cases in my constituency and in the country at large. When older people are abused, they do not have anywhere to go. They do not even know the procedures. They do not even have resources to use to report the abuses. So, this is one of the key objectives and I like it. If it is properly implemented, we are going to have rights of older people respected in our society. Another key objective that we need to look at is the protection of their status and dignity, which is very important. When you age, you start being despised and being discriminated against by your people. Most of the time, older people are never respected in our society. One of the rights enshrined in our Constitution is the right to education. Everybody in the society has a right to education. Those elderly people should be able to choose where to school. We have realised that a majority of our counties, in fact all of them, do not have institutions where the elderly can go for education. I recall one incident where one mzee went to school, but the society was excited in a negative way. That person used to be loved by every student because he was a grandfather. If we can establish training institutions for the older members of the society, we are going to serve our society very well. There is another right which the older people have been missing - the right to legal representation. Most of those people in my constituency have too many cases. Some of them have been denied the rights to their property, especially women whose husbands have died. The children take up the property and deny the mothers access even to their houses. If we can have a legal framework and implement this strategy that the Senate has come up with, we are going to protect our older people and get the blessings from them. There is also the right to admission into public and private premises and public transport. I have travelled to several developed countries, like the UK and the US, and they have got areas, buses and trains only designated for the elderly. That kind of system is lacking in our country. If you walk to a matatu or a public bus here in Nairobi, they do not have space for the elderly. Most of them strain a lot. Unless they are accompanied, they cannot travel. It becomes difficult for them to move from one location to another. If we pass this Bill, let us have spaces designated for the elderly in public transport. There are too many rights in this Bill. That is why I support it. It has highlighted the obligations of the county governments with regard to the role of protecting young people and giving cash to the elderly. I congratulate the Government for that. It is a national issue being done by the Social Protection Office. There are too many elderly people who have attained the age of 70 years, but still cannot access that cash. The national Government is the only one that has implemented this. I have not seen any county government perform. For example, my County, Kitui, has no programme for the elderly people. So, if we give the national Government this obligation of building the elderly persons houses and helping them access cash, then we will be moving in the right direction as a country. There are too many issues touching on the community-based programmes which shall be established by county governments. Another key issue which was actually highlighted in this Bill is the notification of abuse of elderly members of the society. We are going to establish a Medical Practitioners Authority which will protect the elderly. There are too many issues I can discuss in this Bill but, with those few remarks, I urge the Members of this House to support it."
}