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{
    "id": 971195,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/971195/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 285,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kitutu Masaba, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. John Mose",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13390,
        "legal_name": "Shadrack John Mose",
        "slug": "shadrack-john-mose-2"
    },
    "content": "respect. Once you do not have a meal or a house and you do not even know where you will sleep, that shows that we have neglected our old people. I have had an opportunity to go to developed democracies like the United States of America (USA). Recently, I was in China. I marvelled at the way and manner in which the old people are taken care of. They have homes. They are given a stipend which ensures that if one was working, they would always feel comfortable, appreciated and part and parcel of society. In the USA for example, even when the elderly have reached their late 90s, they are given good care. In our society and country, you find that somebody who is 65 years old is totally neglected and is unable to fend for himself or herself. In proposing to establish homes, this Bill is timely in helping our respective places or homes. Once on the campaign trail, I was confronted by a very old lady of about 80 years. She was scrambling to also get something small. Just out of curiosity, I wanted to know whether this old lady had children. I was shocked to find out that the old lady had well-educated sons and daughters and that they had completely neglected her. They had never gone back to her home. Therefore, the coming into effect of this Bill is something that we should be proud of as a country because the elderly in our society will live with respect and be appreciated. It will also ensure that things like sickness that are normally not taken care of will be handled. There is the aspect of legislation that states that this would be done by the national Government and the county governments. We need to be very clear when we deal with this so that we do not have a conflict or a scenario where it is not clear who between the national Government and the county governments is dealing with what aspect in respect of this. We also have old people who are endowed in knowledge. In fact, in terms of our history and culture, once we take care of the elderly then we would ensure that we have secured our past and history. This is the very rich history that we abandon when we get knowledge. There is history that we normally abandon with ease but if this legislation is passed, then we would also have protected quite a lot. Once we establish the homes that I talked about, we also need to deal with the aspect of food and security. The Government should provide food for those old people so that they are okay in terms of health. Their diseases should also be managed. This Bill is timely. I urge all my colleagues to move with speed to ensure that we pass this legislation. The stipend that is provided for the elderly does not reach them. In my constituency of Kitutu Masaba, you will find that very few of the elderly receive the little stipend that the Government provides. With those remarks, I support the Bill."
}