Wamuchomba Appears Before Social Protection Committee To Give Views On Her Geriatrics Bill 2022
Gathoni WaMuchomba during yesterday's forum
By Our Reporter
Worth Noting:
- Wamuchomba further clarified that the Bill stems from an amendment she sponsored wayback in 2018 and was advised by the last Parliament to come up with a unanimous law and not merely an amendment.
- “Hon. Members, this will be a stand alone law if passed. This is in line with the direction I got from the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee (JLAC) in the last Parliament,” she added.
- While laying the objectives of the Bill, Wamuchomba told the members that she seeks to establish a National Council for the Elderly budgeted for by Parliament just like the National Council for the Disabled.
The National Assembly’s Social Protection Committee yesterday played host to Gathoni Wamuchomba of
Githunguri constituency who had been invited to give her views on the Geriatrics bill National Assembly Bill which she has sponsored.
In the sitting chaired by Chairperson Thika Town MP Alice Ng’ang’a, Wamuchomba told the legislators that the Bill is aimed at giving dignity to the elderly persons by protecting them physically, emotionally and otherwise. It is heavy on matters of care and medication for the elderly in the society.
“The Bill seeks to give effect to Article 57 of the constitution to establish the National Council for the Elderly, to provide care for the elderly empowerment and protection,” she told the MPs.
Wamuchomba further clarified that the Bill stems from an amendment she sponsored wayback in 2018 and was advised by the last Parliament to come up with a unanimous law and not merely an amendment.
“Hon. Members, this will be a stand alone law if passed. This is in line with the direction I got from the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee (JLAC) in the last Parliament,” she added.
While laying the objectives of the Bill, Wamuchomba told the members that she seeks to establish a National Council for the Elderly budgeted for by Parliament just like the National Council for the Disabled.
She pointed out that the elderly have been left in the hands of the Chiefs’ programs that seek to enumerate the challenges faced by the underprivileged in the society. She cited the Inua Jamii Programme which she termed skewed and discriminatory.
She went ahead to explain that the legislative proposal seeks to establish a legal framework to promote Justice for the Elderly.
“World over, a society is judged on how it takes care of the elderly. Let’s develop a framework to take care of the elderly as a country,” she pleaded with the committee members.
In her rejoinder, the committee chairperson supported Wamuchomba’s presentation on the Bill noting that it would improve the living standards of the elderly persons in the country.
“I agree with you Mheshimiwa Wamuchomba, the elderly persons need special attention in the society. They need special wards in our health facilities just like the pediatric wards for children, to enable them receive special care, I support the idea of entrenching this in law,” she noted.
Seme MP, James Nyikal, a doctor by profession and a member of the committee supported the Bill whose enactment, he noted was long overdue. He however challenged the sponsor of the Bill to look at all other laws relating to her Bill, and at the end of it, attach a schedule of laws that need amendment or harmonisation.
Nyikal’s sentiments were supported by Hillary Kosgey from Kipkelion West constituency.
After listening to Wamuchomba, the committee went ahead to pursue the second agenda which was to review a brief on the National Youth Council Amendment Bill, 2023.
The Bill sponsored by Baringo Central MP Joshua Kandie seeks to amend the National Youth Council Act. He is also scheduled to appear before the committee to make his submissions on the proposed law.
Similar Posts by The Mt Kenya Times:
- Diaspora Times Global June 27 – July 1, 2026
- Trump turns Big Tech into a trade weapon — and Europe is in the crosshairs
- Stanbic Foundation and Microsoft take AI training to Kenya’s counties as digital skills gap narrows
- Push to honour forgotten freedom fighters and nation builders gains momentum
- Murugara pledges to emulate Njuki’s cultural agenda as leaders praise governor’s support for heritage
About the Author
1 thought on “Wamuchomba Appears Before Social Protection Committee To Give Views On Her Geriatrics Bill 2022”