Jaldesa urged the State Department for Social Protection and Senior Citizen Affairs and the National Treasury to set out a clear path to income support for this group, starting with farmers, fishers and informal workers without pensions. 

WHAT WAS ASKED 

The Commission called for health services that reach homebound older persons, including Social Health Authority registration. It asked for legal aid on wills and succession, and for police gender desks that treat elder abuse as urgent. 

It asked the County Government to publish timelines, locations and budgets for its planned care centres for older persons. Ahead of the 2027 General Election, it urged the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission to take voter registration to the homebound and make every polling station accessible.

Older persons are voters, leaders and custodians of peace, Jaldesa said. Longer lives, she added, must mean more years lived with dignity, security and a real say in how Kenya is governed.

The commemoration was held under the global theme The Age of Longevity: Rethinking Systems for Longer Lives, which calls for social protection, health and care services and community support that allow people to age with security and dignity. 

Article 57 of the Constitution obliges the State to ensure older members of society participate fully in society, live in dignity and respect, are free from abuse, and receive reasonable care and assistance. Commission Legal Officer Anne Rasowo offered free legal aid to community members throughout the day at the Deputy County Commissioner’s office grounds.