While articulating the structure and thinking behind the Siaya Widows 2024 Bill that is soon to be enacted into law by the County Assembly, Madam Scholastica Madowo said although there’s no specific law in place addressing the establishment of homes for the elderly, this group also falls among the vulnerable.

South East Alego Ward MCA Scholastica Masidis Madowo. Photo: donated

For now the focus is specifically on widows as a vulnerable group said Masidis, adding “You will appreciate that if you lump up everything in a bill, you risk generalizing and missing the core of a particular problem to be addressed. For instance, the widows’ bill seeks to, among others, address the retrogressive cultural practices that infringe on the rights of widows as human beings.”

Retrogressive cultural practices include exclusion from land inheritance as well as the outdated practices surrounding wife-inheritance.

Other areas that the Siaya Widows Bill 2024 should address are the setting up of a Directorate of Widows Affairs, Widows Welfare Committees, a Widows Welfare Fund and modalities for the access to justice.

A water outlet targeting widows built in conjunction between the MCA and Siaya-Bondo Water and Sanitation Company (SIBOWASCO) in Rambo, South East Alego.

During a morning engagement with members of Siaya’s most influential Whatsapp group Madam Scholastica stated that the Siaya Widows Bill 2024 seeks to provide a comprehensive framework for protecting and empowering widows in Siaya County.

Responding to issues raised by conservationist Dr. David Oremo on the inclusion of the elderly in such a Bill the Siaya South East Ward MCA said:

“I am not aware of any bill in the Siaya County Assembly proposing the establishment of homes for the elderly. As has been well articulated by others here, our elderly are the most vulnerable. Many are left vulnerable, alone and destitute in the “gundas“. Their survival and especially security is at high risk. The social support system that used to watch over them is no longer there. We need to break away from tradition and do things differently – even if it means setting up “communal villages” for the elderly. I must add that the Inua Jamii social protection for the elderly has helped cushion many of the elderly from abject poverty.”Issuance of certificate at the Film Production and Videography training. Madam Scholastica Madowo (left) is probably the only MCA in Kenya who has empowered the youth significantly in the area of film production.

Scholastica Masidis Madowo has long been identified with the struggle to protect widows in the society, driving the agenda from a victim’s standpoint.

Madam Madowo is a seasoned politician serving her second-term in the Siaya County Assembly whose focus on youth, women and the elderly has now earned her not only the love of her constituents but national accolades.