A section of elderly people in Ting’ang’a Ward, Kiambu County want the national and county government to help them access money under the social welfare fund.
The ‘senior’ citizens claim that they have no access to the fund despite the money existing.
Salome Gakuria, an elderly person in the Ward said that she has never benefited from the social fund.
“I only hear from the media that old people are being given monthly stipend but personally I have never received any,” she said on Wednesday.
The 70 year old granny blamed corruption, saying that it has made them not to access the funds.
“It’s bad someone can think of squandering money meant for old people,” she added adding that the government needs to explore other ways of ensuring that they get the funds.
Meanwhile, Ting'ang'a elders have lauded the government for pumping more money into the social welfare kitty that caters for the needs of the elderly persons.
The elders on Wednesday said that the move by the government to allocate them more funds was welcomed as most of them face many challenges in old age.
Amos Maina,an elder in Ting’ang’a stated that the Jubilee government values their interests, adding that many elderly persons suffer as they can no longer work to fend for themselves.
“We are happy that the Jubilee government considers the interests of the elderly persons,” he said, adding that allocation of funds to them will ensure they live dignified lives.
The government in the 2016/2017 budget proposals has allocated Sh7.5 billion for the Social Welfare Kitty.
The kitty is meant for elderly persons who get a monthly stipend of Sh2,000 to cater for their needs.