Getrude Mwangi
Getrude is 65 years old and is the chairperson of an older people's group in Nairobi. She makes money by sourcing domestic help for clients and is paid per successful contact made. She also teaches traditional dancing, and as part of Age Demands Action in Kenya, she uses her performance skills to entertain the crowds.
You can start a conversation with Getrude by leaving her a comment below, and we will make sure she gets your message!
Read more about Getrude:
Background: I was born and brought up in Uganda, before moving to Nairobi where I met my husband and got married in 1964.
Education: I attended primary school, high school and teachers college.
Family: My husband and I were blessed with four children - a daughter and three sons. My daughter passed away in 2006 just four months before her weddings. One son is married now with five children. The other has a part time job at a life guard at a hotel.
Career: Following college, I got a teaching job, then, between 1982-84, I was a headmistress in a primary school.
Current situation: Currently, I live alone in a two-roomed iron sheet house. There is a water source within the neighbourhood and jerrican of 20 litres costs Kshs 6 (£0.05). In a day, I use 40 litres of watch.
Income: In my current role finding domestic help for clients, I recieve Kshs 1,000 (£7.69) for every successful transaction I make.
Talents and skills: I teach traditional dancing and I am also a good actress. During the ADA celebrations I participate in a skit that entertains the guests.
Currently, I am the chairperson of our older people's group called 'Tumaini,' which has a membership of sixty members who are between 60 - 88 years old. The group meets every Friday in Dagoretti.
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Comments submitted for this page
Getrude (29th July 2013)
Thank you for watching my video and responding to the things that I said.
I think the government will establish a pension scheme eventually. In the recent budget, the government increased the amount and the number of older people who will be receiving a pension from 59,000 to 118,000 older people. The budget allocation for this has also increased from Kshs 1 billion to Kshs 3.2 billion. I think they are on the right track but we still need to push them. I look forward to participating in this year’s Age Demands Action campaign when we will put more pressure on the government to deliver.
The lifestyle in Europe is different than in Kenya. Food and rent are the most important things to us, as well as having money to go to hospital. Most older people will do away with having electricity so long as they have food and a roof over their heads. The National Health Insurance Fund (the public health insurance) is quite inaccessible for majority of the older people as they cannot afford it. Even though it is only Kshs 160 per month for the premium, many older people cannot afford that amount.
Mariet Mulders (5th July 2013)
Getrude Mwangi is a strong and inspiring woman from Kenya. I watched her video with great interest. It is a very nice film indeed and it shows very well what older people in Kenya are doing and how active they are. The lady in the film, Getrude, is very proud about what she and her fellow members of her older people’s group have achieved in their community. Their strength and spirit reminds me of the many older people I have met over the years in countries I visited during my travels.
Older people are very important in society. Often they are helping others, including their peers, young people and their grandchildren. Older people are indispensable as carers and as role models. Getrude is also making a living by raising chickens. It seems that many other older people are also doing similar activities to make an income.
It strikes me that she does not have a pension like we have here in the Netherlands. This is the reason life can be very difficult if you can no longer take care of yourself.
It is good that Getrude and her fellow advocates of older people’s rights are raising their voices and that they organise demonstrations to pressure the government of Kenya. I don’t think that older people in the Netherlands would be able to show so much solidarity for each other.
I wonder though if Getrude and the ADA activists in Kenya will indeed succeed in the near future in getting a pension from the government. A pension that is worth the while, substantial, that sustains and that really helps to take care of basic costs of daily life. A pension – in other words – that makes a difference between a life in misery and life in dignity.
Secondly, I wondered how older people in Kenya pay bills if they get older and are faced with health problems. Is healthcare free or do people have insurance, like we have? Especially when one gets older, health is a concern for many, here in the Netherlands but also in Kenya, I’m sure. These are the two questions I have for Getrude.
I wish Getrude lots of success and strength in her efforts to improve the lives of older people in Kenya, now and the future older generations!