Hundreds of elderly persons from Nairobi County Wednesday gathered at the Kibera Social Grounds to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the International Day for older persons.
The celebrations also brought together various organisations and groups that have been at the forefront in championing the rights of the elderly in society.
Although the actual day for the event is October 1, for Nairobi County it came a day earlier to give room for the main celebrations scheduled to take place in Machakos County.
"We have decided to organise this event today (the Day for the Elderly) because we also want to take part in the main one tomorrow in Machakos courtesy of the national government," said Jamila Mwanjisi, campaign and rights officer at HelpAge International.
According to Mwanjisi, Kibera is one of the areas in Kenya where the elderly face a lot of challenges,
"We have decided to organise this event in Kibera because this is an area with many older people who are facing difficulties in life. We have an intention of sensitising the community to support older people so that they don't feel neglected," she said.
Agnes Nyambura, Coordinator for Kibera Daycare Centre for the Elderly appealed to the society to appreciate the elderly by protecting their rights.
"The older people should be given room for socialisation so that they don't feel lonely. In our daycare, we have realised that many of them face many challenges like abuse, being denied basic rights and marginalisation. We are working day and night to ensure that our members obtain basic needs like food, shelter and clothing," said Nyambura
The Dandora Elders Organisation was among groups that attended.
"I have come all the way of Uthiru to attend this event. I am still a member of Kibera Daycare Centre because I used to live in Kibera. The main problem that made me migrate is lack of proper shelter; we as elderly people are having a challenge in paying rent because we do not have a stable income," said Dinah Alui, an elderly woman.