The Head of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) Thegu Mutahi has expressed the church’s remorse for the regrettable ill-treatment of senior citizens residing at the PCEA Thogoto Home for the Aged.
While condemning the incident which was exposed by the media recently, he said that thorough investigations were being conducted to establish the truth, adding that those implicated will be given an opportunity to defend themselves.
“Internal investigations are going on and those implicated will be allowed to state their cases before action is taken against them,” he said.
“The PCEA fraternity and Older Persons Serving Organisations regret and condemn in the strongest terms any iota of abuse of residents that may have occurred at the PCEA Thogoto Home for The Aged.”
An exposé by BBC revealed that elderly men and women residing at the home faced mistreatment from caregivers.
The media organization disclosed that elderly individuals residing in the facility were being deprived of medical care and proper sustenance, with several reported cases of hunger-related deaths.
Flanked by the PCEA Secretary General Robert Waihenya, Older Persons Serving Organisations officials among them Elijah Mwega and Lucy Mworia, he said that the home has always strived to serve the elderly under its care with utmost respect and integrity irrespective of their status.
“The recent incident, however, was a wake-up call and we shall do all we can as a church to improve the home even as we plan to put up others across the country. It’s the pioneer home and hence we will better it for benchmarking,” he said.
The home was established in 1967 by the PCEA Kikuyu Presbytery Women’s Guild in the realisation of the plights of vulnerable older persons in the society who lacked shelter and care or were at risk of harm in their situations.
He further said that the home targets old people with no income and inadequate support from their families. He added that accommodation, feeding and general care at the non-profit-making facility is free.
Mwega accused insurance firms of refusing to insure the elderly members of the society terming them the same as a discrimination act.
“Insurance companies in the country no longer agree to insure old people on health and we as representatives of such vulnerable people would like to challenge the government to intervene so that our members will no longer be discriminated against,” he said.
He also called upon Parliament and Senate to fast-track the Older Members of Society Bill in order to anchor issues of the elderly in law and to Article 57 of the Constitution.
