.Writes Leo Odera Omolo
TENSION is brewing in various parts of LUO-NYANZA over the classification of the categories of aged, poor people who should benefit from the billions of shillings recently set aside by president Uhuru Kenyatta to benefit old and poor people.
The scheme is causing ripples and discontent that some of the local administrators were deliberately misinterpreting the scheme to suit their own selfish interests. Other unconfirmed allegations are that the Chiefs and their assistants were favoring their friends and relatives making it nightmarish for those who wanted to be registered as the beneficiaries of the scheme.
In many districts, the registration went on smoothly the whole of last week with hundreds of aged and poor running up to be registered.
Things did not work well, however. The exercise did not go well in Awendo and Uriri districts, Migori County. Hundreds of elderly people who turned up at Ayego Chiefs camp in North Kanyamkago location, Migori County encountered a lot of difficulties in having their names registered as the beneficiaries of the government stipend money.
The elders who gathered there were told that before they could dream of getting paid any money, officials from the Ministry of Social Services based in MIGORI D.C.’s office would visit their homesteads on very special missions to assess their poverty status. And that those found to be in extremely poor and having no houses and farms would automatically be the beneficiaries of the scheme.
However, from the looks of things on the ground, the government, particularly the Office of the President in Nairobib should come out with a comprehensive statement clarifying the details of the scheme explaining the categories of those old people who qualified for the stipend.
At the Rinya Chiefs Camp in Sakwa East Location also in Migori County a heated argument and exchange of harsh words ensued between Chief Ezra Odondi and his assistant Poul Ogweno and an enlightened elder called Henry Oguta Ouma, aged 80 and retired former police office who inquired as to why the names of only 65 people have been registered in the whole location with the population in excess of 15,000 people.
The exercise, Mzee Ouma said, locks out over 3,0000 older people who would miss the chances of enjoying the government stipend money. The two administrators were accompanied by an official from the social services department stationed at the Rongo D>C’s office who appeared not to be conversant with the government policy and rule governing the scheme for the aged people, people with disability and orphans
Failure by the official to give the proper and satisfactory explanation sparked off discontent and tension among the elders who left the venue while cursing corruption as the source of problem.
Mzee Ouma appealed to the area MP to convene an urgent meeting and explain to the public about the classic qualification for anyone to benefit to benefit from the government stipend for old people.
In other regions, old people were simply required to hand the photocopies of their national identity cards and leave everything to be sorted out by the officials.
Mzee Ouma later told the administrators that he would personally lead a delegation to petition President Kenyatta and sought for proper interpretation of the scheme.
Other unconfirmed reports reaching us say some officials were asking for bribe money form the poor old people so that they could have their names included in the scheme, while in other areas other were favoring their relatives and friends.
Reached on phone Uriri D.C George Kibet Lagat assured members of the public that who qualified for the stipend would get their money without any hunch or discrimination
ENDS