Man, 70, succumbs to shock after getting bad news about elderly dues

GARISSA: A 70-year-old man collapsed and died after queuing for two days in a row under a scorching sun to receive his share of the money meant for the elderly from a bank in Garissa town.

According to the family member Hassan Hajji Keinan, hypertension patient and physically challenged elderly travelled from Mataarba village in Hullugho sub-county to Garissa to receive his Sh8,000 stipend offered by the National Government.

The money which was previously channeled at decentralised postal offices at divisional level at every sub-county has been moved to Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) in Garissa town.

This has forced thousands of elderly, orphans and physically challenged to travel from all seven sub-county to the the bank, which has only one branch in north-eastern region.

SWEATING PROFUSELY

Guhad Hassan, the eldest son of the deceased who spoke to the media said his father complained of faster heartbeat while on the queue, and then he started sweating profusely. He later died while undergoing treatment.

He added: “On arriving at the counter the cashier told him he has no money since his name was missing from the beneficiaries list, he got shocked then.

He started sweating profusely before he collapsed some metres from the bank and later died while undergoing treatment at a private hospital,” he said.

Mr Guhad added that his father took Sh2,000 credit from a trader with promise that he will refund when he collects his stipend from the bank.

A spot check by The Standard Wednesday afternoon revealed that there was a long queue of people mainly the elderly above 65 years waiting to receive their social security funds.

Abass Shurie, the chairperson of Hullugho/Ijara Disabled People Association faulted the Government for punishing the beneficiaries of the social welfare fund by forcing them to travel to Garissa to get their money from a single financial institution.

“Initially, we had no problem of getting our money since it was coming through our respective postal offices. But now we are required to travel from all corners of the county and converge at KCB Garissa branch. We wonder in whose interest was the disbursement of money reduced to one bank”, he lamented.

Some old men trudged back home dejected after the system failed to recognise their fingerprints.

“I’m shocked to have been told the system can’t read my fingers. When they were registering me all was fine, why this time when I am supposed to take money,” one old man asked.