Ageing Is a Policy Question, Not a Personal Failure

In Kenya, too many older persons are made to feel like they have “become a burden.”
This is not a moral issue. It is a systems failure.

Our own laws are clear.

Article 57 of the Constitution of Kenya guarantees older persons the right to:

• Live in dignity and respect
• Receive reasonable care and assistance from the State
• Fully participate in society

In addition, the National Policy on Older Persons and Ageing (2009) and the Inua Jamii – Older Persons Cash Transfer (OPCT) programme exist precisely because ageing, dependency, and vulnerability are predictable stages of life — not personal shortcomings.

And yet, the lived reality tells a different story.

Cash transfers are often delayed or insufficient.
Community-based care systems remain weak or absent.
Families are overburdened without structured support.

The gap is not policy intent.
The gap is implementation, coordination, and dignity-centred design.

At Ethel Foundation for the Aged, we work from a simple principle:
dignity must be engineered into social protection systems, not left to goodwill or charity.

This means:

• Complementing OPCT with community-based care and psychosocial support
• Treating older persons as constitutional rights holders, not passive beneficiaries
• Building locally rooted models that align families, communities, and government

As we move deeper into 2026, our focus is clear:
to demonstrate how Kenya’s own constitutional promises to older persons can be made real, practical, and sustainable at community level.

Because how a society treats its elders is not a reflection of generosity —
it is a reflection of how seriously it takes its own laws.