The government should regulate homes for the elderly people in Kenya to guarantee their dignity, Ahadi Kenya Trust chief executive officer Stanley Kamau has said.
Reacting to the recent expose by BBC of alleged mistreatment of elderly people at PCEA Thogoto Care Home, in Kikuyu, Kiambu county, Kamau called on the government to closely monitor the homes.
The home is run by the Presbyterian Church of East Africa.
The home is said to have been established by the Women's Guild of the local PCEA church but managed independently.
Speaking at Igare in Bobasi constituency, Kisii county, Kamau said, “What happened in Thogoto is not only sad but unfortunate. I’m not defending the PCEA church or the home, but if it’s true what is alleged happened, I think we have let down our elderly people in our society as a country. I don’t want to believe what happened to those elderly people in Thogoto is true.”
Kamau who was accompanied by university don Samuel Siringi, said investigations into the alleged assault should be conducted expeditiously. The PCEA church has launched investigations into the chilling revelations of mistreatment of elderly persons as exposed in a documentary done by BBC.
During the function, hundreds of elderly men and women who attended the function received blankets maize and wimbi flour courtesy of Ahadi Kenya Trust, to cushion them during the cold season. He decried increasing cases of violence against elderly persons which he said is rampant in Kisii and Coast region.
“Kisii and Coast regions are notorious in the killings of elderly people who are often accused of being witches. However, these people are not witches but they are killed because their only sin is growing old,” Kamau said.
He added,“Elderly people should be treated with dignity and their welfare should be a priority to families. It is backwardness and unfortunate to kill elderly people. The authorities in Kisii, Nyamira and Coast regions should up their game and end these heinous killings.”
