Tokenism will not help senior citizens

 

Kenyan banks are yet to create a mark on the Ugandan market despite a strong foundation back home. 

In Summary

However, Shs24,000 a month is so little to even put a meal on the table for three days, let alone cater for a few peculiar problems of the elderly like ill-health, etc.

The government, through the Ministry of Gender and Social Services, is implementing the five-year Expanding Social Protection Programme (ESP) through which grants are extended to senior citizens and other vulnerable people.

Under the pilot programme – now in its second year and covering 14 districts – the elderly are given a monthly stipend of Shs24,000. So far Shs11.6 billion has been disbursed to 70,150 people in 95,000 households.

Minister of State for the Elderly and Disabled, Mr Sulaiman Madada, told MPs this week that the government’s plan is to reach the elderly and vulnerable in at least 96 sub-counties between 2013 and 2016 where an estimated Shs609 billion will be disbursed in stipends.

The government should be commended for trying to step in and address some of the problems of the elderly and most vulnerable members of the community given that the traditional social protection system that saw children and grand-children take care of their parents and grand-parents is being undermined by the changing lifestyle that seems to promote the nuclear family as opposed to the extended family of old.

However, Shs24,000 a month is so little to even put a meal on the table for three days, let alone cater for a few peculiar problems of the elderly like ill-health, etc. This therefore calls for a little more creative thought on the part of government.

Yes, there is certainly no easy solution considering the amount of money it would require to make all our elderly and vulnerable comfortable. The more sustainable approach, perhaps, is for the government to address the issue of service delivery at a wider level to cater for all population segments and the starting point could be to put in place an affordable and effective health care insurance scheme so that all can get quick and cheap treatment in times of ill-health.

The other could be to address the issue of food security, especially in rural areas. The lack of clear policies and programmes to ensure most Ugandan households are food secure has made the situation for the elderly worse because they are the least able to run the rat-race for food. Pursuing a tokenism approach might win political plaudits but it will not solve the problem.