A team from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology led by Principal, College of Health Sciences, Dr. Reuben Thuo held productive partnership discussions with the State Department of State Department for Social Protection and Senior Citizen Affairs regarding promotion of the rights and wellbeing of older persons.

The talks held on September 24, 2025 were focused on opportunities for collaboration in key areas such as research, legal and policy frameworks, as well as community-based interventions on ageing.

Principal Secretary, State Department for Social Protection and Senior Citizen Affairs, Mr Joseph M Motari welcomed the talks noting that the welfare of senior citizens was not only constitutionally guaranteed, but also a key imperative in the government’s service delivery agenda.

Dr. Thuo highlighted that JKUAT and the State Department share a strong history of collaboration, including jointly staging the 2021 Kenya National Rehabilitation Conference. He added that, through its Centre for Healthy Aging, JKUAT has the expertise needed to help the government effectively and sustainably serve senior citizens, a key yet vulnerable demographic.

The two parties aim to cooperate in strategic areas, including joint proposal development for funding, data collection and analysis on ageing, integration of evidence to assess program impact, co-creation of community-driven solutions, capacity building and knowledge sharing, as well as the establishment of a community hub and an ageing-focused data repository.

The 2019 Kenya National Population Census revealed that Kenya had 2.7 million elderly people; constituting 6% of the 47.5 million total population. This is a significant segment of the population which requires knowledge driven decision making and resource allocation. It is in this spirit that JKUAT, through its Centre for Healthy Aging is advancing new knowledge forms and strategic partnerships.