National and county legislators have been urged to make laws that promote the welfare of the elderly.
Nyeri assembly speaker John Kaguchia on Friday said this will enable the old to get priority when seeking services in banks, hospitals and other public and private institutions.
He said old people should be taxed less than other members of society. Kaguchia said the cohort has paid taxes since they were young and it would be an honour to reduce the burden on them.
"I believe there is a time when the government should start taking care of the elderly as they have also been taking care of the country affairs through their taxes for many years,” he said.
Kaguchia suggested that a bill be tabled towards achieving that goal. He wants it called the Senior Citizens Bill. It is wrong for senior citizens to queue in line in wait for banking and other services, he said.
Citing the Philippines as a case to emulate, he said people above the age of 70 should be given preference and issued with special cards to allow them easy access to services.
Kaguchia pitched his proposal during a meeting with former Nyeri councillors. The former civic leaders, who are members of the Kenya Former Councillors Association, met at a Nyeri town hotel.
Most of them are advanced in age and find it difficult to sustain their lives. They fall under the category, which the speaker wants to be protected.
Some of them served in the 1960s and 1970s. Kaguchia said getting medical care is a problem for most of them and urged the treasury to relieve their plight.
The Treasury is already a recipient of a motion which was passed by the Senate and which was to address their sustenance.
Kaguchia said other civil servants get pensions and questioned why former councillors should not be considered for the same. He urged the government to create a kitty towards that cause.
"They have also been public servants and have served our country. I would want to urge that the Treasury consider them, through the taskforce that has already been formed, to ensure they get the requirements that were enumerated in the Senate through the motion,” he said.
The motion was taken to the Senate early this year. If it's looked at, the former councillors will lead dignified lives, Kaguchia said.
He pledged to lobby county lawmakers to follow up on the work of the taskforce.
"We'll look at that taskforce to ensure at least the findings and the recommendations they make are friendly and positive," he said.
(Edited by F'Orieny)
