By Amy Moyi
In Mathare, an informal settlement area of Ngong town, there is an increase in the number of neglected elderly persons. Most of these elderly persons live alone and have little to no contact with their families.
This neglect by their family members including their children who have migrated to urban areas has a great negative impact on their quality of life. As a result of their advanced age and low economic status, living in isolation exposes these vulnerable elderly persons to risk and at the mercy of well wishers to fend for their basic needs.
John Thiga ,a resident of Mathare who is over eighty years old has said he barely keeps in touch with his children who migrated to the United States of America. In his old age, he has to endure financial and health challenges.
“Children sometimes abandon their parents when they go abroad. Sometimes they help and sometimes they do not. Life has been very hard because of financial problems because I cannot work anymore. I depend on help from well wishers and a little help sometimes from the children. As old people we also suffer from diseases because immunity is low. I suffer from high blood pressure.”
Seventy two year old Florence Wangu lives in Mathare with her forty nine year old son who developed a mental health condition while in third year at university. She is unable to afford proper housing, food as well as medication for her son and herself.
“I have arthritis and I cannot afford treatment or medication. I am the caregiver of my only child who depends on me since his father died. When I die he will have no one to care for him. The house is too small for me and my son. Food is too expensive, I rely on the church for food and well wishers to help me fetch water.”
Seventy eight year old Wambui Kamitha from Mathare has had to raise her two grandchildren after their parents died. She has said that access to food is a challenge because her grandchildren have not been able to get jobs.
“My grand children who are now grown up rely on casual jobs. When they are able to get work they have to feed their children first. I am their mother, father and grandmother. Sometimes we used to sleep hungry. At times a well wisher will give me a hundred shillings and then I will buy food. If the elderly persons here told you their stories you would shed tears.”
Seventy two year old Peter Kareri still has to work as a watchman to fend to himself and his wife. He has said he can only retire after he is able to get enough capital to pay off his debts, start a business for himself and his wife and build a small home.
“The price of milk, sugar, cooking oil and bread is too high. I have to pay a debt of seventy thousand Kenya shillings so I work twenty four hours. I would like to buy a cart and donkey and start a business so I can provide for my family at home. I would also like to build a four room house.”
Regina Wambui started Umoja Elderly Emporment Programme with the aim of assisting the vulnerable elderly persons in the community after witnessing their desperate plight. She has said that most of the elderly persons have been abandoned by their children who do not have stable jobs.
“I would visit an elderly person and find they have no food to it and no one to assist them. I have Seventy four elderly persons under this programme four of whom are bedridden and five who walk with a cane. Their children have left and sometimes leave them with grandchildren to care for so I assist them with help from well wishers.”
Wambui has emphasized the importance of involvement by family members and the community in taking care of elderly persons at a stage in life when they are most vulnerable.
“Elderly persons need to be cared for. Their children have forgotten them and will only come back to bury them but right now they have no interest in their parents. We are really burdened but when they come together it help to prevent depression.”
Thiga has reiterated that elderly persons do not require much to be content but sometimes they lack even enough resources to meet their basic needs which can sometimes result in death.
“All we need as elderly people is peace. If we have food, shelter, somewhere peaceful to stay and and a little money for medication that is enough. Things are very expensive right now and many old people die because of hunger if they do not have assistance from their families because most elderly people especially men are abandoned by young people.”
Ageing has fundamental impacts on sustainable development efforts to eradicate poverty, achieve food security. The United Nations introduced the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the year 2016 which outlined seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), that aim to eradicate poverty and hunger.
Kenya’s Vision 2030 envisions that older persons have access to quality health care, social care and support through community- based care and long-term care policies, infrastructure, resources and programs.
