Reporter’s Diary: How to take care of the elderly in Kenya?

At 96, Ephraim Matindi Hinga has lived through almost a century of change. From the transformation of Kenyan society to the challenges of growing old in a rapidly changing world, his life offers a window into a generation whose contributions built the foundations on which younger generations stand.

When I visited him at his rural home in Kiambu County, accompanied by fellow journalist Enock Sikolia, our assignment was to tell the story of Kenya’s ageing population and the growing financial pressures facing older people.

But sitting with Mzee Hinga, a descendant of the great Waiyaki wa Hinga, the story became more personal. Beyond the statistics, policy discussions and projections about the future, there was a man whose life illustrated both the dignity of aging and the vulnerability that can accompany it.

Mzee Hinga remains committed to speaking up for the welfare and dignity of older persons. His story is a reminder that while Africa is celebrated for having the youngest population in the world, it must also confront a future in which millions more of its citizens will grow old.

And the question is not simply how long people will live, but how well they will live when they can no longer earn a regular income.

THE COST OF GROWING OLD

For some people, retirement offers an opportunity to rest after decades of work. For others, it marks the beginning of a difficult struggle to meet basic needs, including food, healthcare, and everyday expenses.

Mzee Hinga is fortunate to have children who support him. They pay for his house help, who assists him with cooking and washing clothes, allowing him to maintain some independence as he grows older.

Yet, as he explained during our interview, not every older person has that safety net.

His children’s support is essential, but he recognizes that many families are themselves struggling financially. Adult children who are unemployed or earning little may be willing to help their ageing parents but lack the means to do so.

His account brought a human face to an issue that is often discussed in terms of demographics and government expenditure.

For many older people, family support remains the first line of protection. But what happens when the family itself is financially vulnerable?

In Kenya, where many people spend their working lives in informal employment, the answer is particularly complicated. Workers who have never had access to a formal pension scheme may reach old age without sufficient savings to sustain them.

For them, retirement is not always a choice. 

A GENERATION BEHIND THE STATISTICS

According to figures from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, the number of Kenyans aged 60 and above stood at approximately 2.7 million in 2020 and is projected to rise to 6.4 million by 2045.

That growth will place increasing demands on healthcare services, family support systems and government social protection programmes.

Mercy Njeri, a Nairobi-based social worker, highlighted the financial burden of healthcare for older people, noting that conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure often require regular monitoring, medication and frequent hospital visits. Routine medical appointments and blood sugar checks are part of daily life for many older people.

WHEN SOCIAL PROTECTION IS NOT ENOUGH

The Kenyan government has introduced cash transfers to help vulnerable older persons meet some of their basic needs.

During our interview, Mzee Hinga pointed to the limitations of this assistance, explaining that money received through the programme can quickly be consumed by healthcare expenses.

He described how even the consultation fee at a hospital could take up a significant portion of the monthly support, leaving little for medication, food and other necessities.

His experience highlights a difficult question for policymakers: how can social protection remain meaningful when the cost of essential services continues to rise?

The government’s Older Persons Cash Transfer programme is an important component of the country's response to ageing and vulnerability. However, the growing number of older citizens will require sustained attention to funding, eligibility, accessibility and the adequacy of benefits.

Dominic Mwenja, chairman of the Central Bank of Kenya Pension Fund, told us that Africa must rethink how it prepares its citizens for retirement. He pointed to the need to develop wealth and pension infrastructure that can support people after their working years, particularly those who have spent their lives outside formal employment.

Traditional pension systems are often structured around regular contributions deducted from salaries. But a large proportion of African workers earn their livelihoods in the informal economy, where income may be irregular and conventional pension arrangements less accessible.

Preparing for retirement therefore requires new approaches that recognise how people actually work, earn and save.

Without these changes, governments, communities and families will continue to shoulder much of the responsibility for supporting people who reach old age without adequate financial security.

MORE THAN A STORY ABOUT MONEY

While the economics of ageing formed the central focus of our report, my encounter with Mzee Hinga also brought me back to a broader question about how we value older people.

Mzee Hinga’s connection to Waiyaki wa Hinga places him within a family history linked to an important chapter of Kenya’s past. But his significance extends beyond his ancestry. Through his continued advocacy for older persons, he reminds us that older people are not merely recipients of care. They are citizens with rights, experiences and voices that deserve to be heard.

Our elders helped raise families, preserve traditions, sustain communities and navigate periods of profound social and political change. Many made sacrifices that younger generations may never fully appreciate.

Yet, as society becomes increasingly preoccupied with the demands of modern life, it is easy to overlook those who no longer participate in the economy in the same way they once did.

Age does not erase dignity. Nor should it mean exclusion from public life.

A RESPONSIBILITY WE CANNOT POSTPONE

Leaving Mzee Hinga’s home, I was reminded that the responsibility to honour older people cannot be confined to a commemorative day or a social media tribute.

It must be reflected in how we treat them, the policies we support and the systems we build to protect them.

If you know an elderly man or woman, call them. Visit them. If you can, take them a bag of maize, some milk or whatever you can afford. Sometimes, the smallest act of kindness can bring the greatest joy.

But individual kindness must go hand in hand with collective responsibility. Families need support, older persons need accessible healthcare, and governments must strengthen social protection systems that allow people to age with dignity.

Kenya’s aging population is not a distant concern. The people represented in the projections are our parents, grandparents, neighbors and, eventually, ourselves. Mzee Hinga’s generation is growing older, but it is not disappearing. Its members remain part of our communities, carrying memories, lessons and experiences that cannot easily be replaced.

Our visit was a reminder that the story of aging is not only about the years a person has lived. It is about the quality of those years, the security they enjoy and whether society continues to recognise their worth.

And as we left his home I am reminded of this African proverb: The old know the way because they have walked the road before us.

A society that takes care of its elders honors its own roots.