The government will establish a rescue centre in Kilifi to shelter the elderly undergoing abuse in the area.
The PS Department for Social Protection and Senior Citizens Affairs at the Ministry of Labour Joseph Motari said Kilifi has been mapped as a county where cases of elderly abuse are rampant.
The PS reiterated the commitment of the government to ensure the rights of the elderly are protected.
This, he said, will be done through multi-stakeholder involvement which will involve communities and families.
Motari in a statement said the government’s establishment of Kirinyaga rescue centre for the elderly is a show of commitment by the government to protect the vulnerable in the country.
“The centre also serves as a model and a safe haven for victims of neglect, abandonment and elder abuse,” he said.
The state department is currently in the process of finalizing the draft Bill on older persons which will comprehensively make provisions that safeguard their rights, care, and support services.
This will facilitate enforcement through monitoring and adherence to national and international standards.
“The department periodically conducts spot checks on both residential and non-residential care homes for the elderly to assess compliance to the national standards and guidelines,” he noted.
In November last year, Kaya elders made a passionate appeal to the Judiciary to address historical land injustices they linked to killings of the elderly.
The Kaya elders blamed the killings on bad land policies that do not protect the elderly.
Many elderly persons in Kilifi have been butchered and more are under threat for allegedly practicing witchcraft but the Kaya elders said the main cause of the killings was land and called President Ruto to intervene.
