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Published On: Sun, Jan 29th, 2012
Tanzania | Published On: Sun, Jan 29th, 2012
Former Kagera Regional Chama Cha Mapiduzi (CCM) Chairman, Pius Ngeze, has appealed to the government to start paying the elderly people a monthly income, in appreciation for their devotion to the nation.
Mr Ngeze (68) was the CCM Regional boss between 1977 until 2005 when he retired voluntarily. He noted that since independence there had been no law outlining benefits to be paid to senior citizens. The government should start paying its senior citizens a monthly pension in consideration for big contribution they made.
"I was elected CCM Regional chairman in 1977 when I was 34 years old. But now, I am also among the elderly people (68 years). I also still have my mother who is aged 100 years and my aunt who is aged 90 years. This is a big burden," he lamented.
According to Mr Ngeze, several developed countries including the US, Canada, UK, France and other European countries have a system of paying their senior citizens a monthly pension. He accordingly called upon the government to borrow a leaf.
Mr Ngeze was addressing elders in Bukoba Municipality on Thursday during a one-day seminar organised by an NGO known as ‘Saidia Wazee Karagwe' (SAWAKA), an affiliate of the International Help Age. Earlier, SAWAKA Co-ordinator, Livingstone Byekwaso, said only four per cent of the elderly people, mostly retirees from the public service, enjoyed a monthly pension while the majority 96 per cent were completely ignored rendering them to live a miserable life.
He said most of the elders were farmers, livestock keepers, fishermen and small-scale entrepreneurs. Mr Byekwaso urged the government to revise outdated laws that discriminate elderly people. Citing an example, he said a bill regarding pensions for elderly people was passed in 2003 but to-date it has not been blessed by the President to become a law.
He also called upon elderly people in the country to participate fully by giving their views to the Commission entrusted with collecting views before writing a new constitution. This would enable the new constitution to have a section regarding rights and privileges for elderly people, he said.
Source Tanzania Daily News
Tanzania | Published On: Sun, Jan 29th, 2012
Former Kagera Regional Chama Cha Mapiduzi (CCM) Chairman, Pius Ngeze, has appealed to the government to start paying the elderly people a monthly income, in appreciation for their devotion to the nation.
Mr Ngeze (68) was the CCM Regional boss between 1977 until 2005 when he retired voluntarily. He noted that since independence there had been no law outlining benefits to be paid to senior citizens. The government should start paying its senior citizens a monthly pension in consideration for big contribution they made.
"I was elected CCM Regional chairman in 1977 when I was 34 years old. But now, I am also among the elderly people (68 years). I also still have my mother who is aged 100 years and my aunt who is aged 90 years. This is a big burden," he lamented.
According to Mr Ngeze, several developed countries including the US, Canada, UK, France and other European countries have a system of paying their senior citizens a monthly pension. He accordingly called upon the government to borrow a leaf.
Mr Ngeze was addressing elders in Bukoba Municipality on Thursday during a one-day seminar organised by an NGO known as ‘Saidia Wazee Karagwe' (SAWAKA), an affiliate of the International Help Age. Earlier, SAWAKA Co-ordinator, Livingstone Byekwaso, said only four per cent of the elderly people, mostly retirees from the public service, enjoyed a monthly pension while the majority 96 per cent were completely ignored rendering them to live a miserable life.
He said most of the elders were farmers, livestock keepers, fishermen and small-scale entrepreneurs. Mr Byekwaso urged the government to revise outdated laws that discriminate elderly people. Citing an example, he said a bill regarding pensions for elderly people was passed in 2003 but to-date it has not been blessed by the President to become a law.
He also called upon elderly people in the country to participate fully by giving their views to the Commission entrusted with collecting views before writing a new constitution. This would enable the new constitution to have a section regarding rights and privileges for elderly people, he said.
Source Tanzania Daily News
