Global Leadership Training Programme in Africa 2019
Activity Report of Field Research

Current situation of social welfare and living condition of older persons in Kenya
Ryuji Yoshino 1_______________________
1

Nagasaki University, School of Global Health and Tropical Medicine, International Health Development course, Master of
Public Health candidate, 2nd year student
・Host Institute: Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), 15 January – 23 March, 2020
1

I. Summary
Background: Population ageing is a great achievement of global health; however, it is also a major global
concern in the world including Sub-Saharan Africa. Although population ageing is currently more present
in developed countries, the projection of population growth for older persons in Sub-Saharan Africa will
be faster than that in developed countries. In Kenya, the proportion of older persons aged 60 and older was
4.3% in 2017 and will increase to 10.4 % in 2050 (United Nations, 2019). However, social security, suchas social protection for older persons is not properly organized in African region. On the other hand, Kenya
started the universal pension for older persons aged 70 or older which called “Inua Jamii 70+” in 2018.
Therefore, it is important to clarify the current situation of social welfare and living condition of older
persons in urban and rural Kenya.
Objective: This study aims to describe the current situation of social welfare and living condition of older
persons in urban and rural Kenya. Specific objectives were to describe the implementation and challenges
of universal pension for older persons called “Inua Jamii 70+” and to examine living arrangements,
household size of older persons and the proportion of people aged 60 or older in Kwale County, Kenya.
Methods: The study area was Dagoretti and Kibera sub-counties in Nairobi County for the urban area andMwachinga, Dumble, Kinango community unit (CU) and Health and Demographic Surveillance System(HDSS) area in Kwale County for the rural area. Study participants were the officers of Ministry of Laborand Social Protection, the community health volunteers (CHVs) in Kibera sub-county, the staff ofcommunity-based organization (CBO), the staff of non-governmental organization (NGO) and the local
residents who take care of older persons in Dagoretti sub-county in the urban area. For the rural area, they
were the CHVs and older persons aged 60 or older in Kinango, Dumble, Mwachinga CUs, and the residents
who lived in Kwale HDSS area in 2017. The officers of the Department of Social Protection in Kwale
County were also the participants of this study. Data were collected by focus group discussions andregistrations of older persons in Mwachinga, Double, Kinango CUs and using the secondary data of Kwale
HDSS in 2017.
Results: For the implementation and challenges of a universal pension, it was found that the distribution ofuniversal pension for older persons was not enough due to insufficient registration system especially in therural area. This finding was linked to a lack of knowledge and awareness among older persons.
Discrimination against older persons by household members was reported by some CHVs and local
residents. The proportion of older persons aged 60 or older in study area (Mwachinga, Dumble, KinangoCU) was higher than that of Kwale HDSS in 2017 and the national average of Kenya in 2017. The resultfor household size and living arrangement of older persons showed that around 60% of older persons lived
in more than six persons households; however, older females were more likely to live alone or in a “Skipped
generation household”.
Conclusion: Universal pension for older persons aged 70 or older, called “Inua Jamii 70+”, is one of thesocial protection for older persons, however, there were a lot of challenges to distribute to older persons
due to an insufficient vital registration system. It does not seem to meet the issues and needs of older persons.
Population aging was observed in Mwachinga, Dumble, Kinango CU in a comparison between the data of
Kwale HDSS and its national average in 2017. Most of the older persons lived in a more than six-personhousehold and seemed to be supported by family members; however, older females were more likely tolive alone or in a “Skipped generation household” which was more likely to face poverty. The findings of
my research can contribute to achieving SDGs 1 and 3 to estimate the number and proportion of older
persons who face poverty and to make a policy recommendation for the coverage of universal pension by
improving the distribution to older persons.
2Ⅰ. 要旨

タイトル：「ケニア共和国における高齢者の社会福祉と生活状況の実態について」
背景：人口高齢化は先進国でより顕著にみられているが、サブサハラアフリカ諸国における 60
歳以上の高齢者数は、先進国よりも早い速度で増加する見込みである。ケニア国では 60 歳以上の高齢者率は 2017 年の 4.3％から 2050 年には 10.4％にまで増加が見込まれている。しかし、アフリカ諸国では高齢者への社会保障制度は十分に整備されていない状況であり、高齢者の生活状況の把握も不十分である。一方で、ケニア国では 2018 年より 70 歳以上の高齢者を対象とした一律給付金システム“Inua Jamii 70＋”が開始されている。
研究目的：本研究ではケニア国の都市部、村落部における高齢者の社会福祉と生活状況の実態を記述することを目的とした。
研究方法：本研究は都市部（ダゴレッティ/キベラ準郡、ナイロビ郡）、村落部（ムワチンガ/
ドゥンブレ/キナンゴ地域、クワレ郡人口登録・動態システムの地域）で行われた。研究対象者
はダゴレッティ準郡の住民と地域保健ボランティア、地域社会団体（KDCCE・KARIKA）のス
タッフ、非政府組織のスタッフ（ヘルプエイジ・インターナショナル）、ケニア社会保障省の担当官、クワレ準郡（ムワチンガ・ドゥンブレ・キナンゴ地域）の 60 歳以上の高齢者と各地域の保健ボランティア、クワレ州社会保障局の担当官であった。データ収集は、フォーカスグル
ープ・ディスカッションとクワレ準郡での 60 歳以上高齢者の登録ならびに、クワレ人口登録・動態システムの二次データ解析を行った。
結果：”Inua Jamii 70+” 一律給付金は不十分な登録システムの影響により受益者となる高齢者に充分に配給されていなかった。これは高齢者への認識や同システムの知識の乏しさと関係していることが示唆された。また、地域住民や保健ボランティアより、高齢者が世帯の同居人から差別を受けているケースがあるとの報告も見られた。研究地(ムワチンガ・ドゥンブレ・キナン
ゴの地域)における 60 歳以上の高齢者率は 2017 年のクワレ HDSS の地域や国平均より高かった。高齢者の世帯規模や世帯構成の結果より、約 60%の高齢者は 6 人以上の世帯に居住しているが、高齢女性の方が独居または隔世世代の世帯に有意に多く居住していることが分かった。
結論：ケニア国における高齢者への一律給付金の配給は不十分かつ、高齢者のニーズを満たしていないように示唆される。クワレ郡における多くの高齢者は家族によるサポートを受けているようだが、一方高齢女性は独居世帯や隔世世代の世帯により多く居住しており、同世帯構成に居住する高齢者はより貧困に直面していることが示唆される。

3

Research Activity
1. Introduction

Population ageing is a great achievement of global health; however, it is also a major global concern in theworld including Sub-Saharan Africa. Although population ageing is currently more present in developed
countries, the projection of population growth for older persons in Sub-Saharan Africa will be faster thanthat in developed countries. In Kenya, the proportion of older persons aged 60 and older was 4.3% in 2017
and will increase to 10.4 % in 2050 (United Nations, 2019).
Social security, such as social protection for older persons is not properly organized in African region. A
previous study shows the social security systems in many African countries are not effective due to thesmall percentage of the labor forces that is covered and the size of the pensions received (Cohen and
Menken, 2006). In addition, a survey of 15 African countries found that in 11 countries the proportion ofolder persons living in poverty was higher than the national average, making them a particularly vulnerable
population (HelpAge International, 2008). Older people particularly women, suffer from discrimination
due to age. Older women are more likely to suffer physical abuse and violence due to negative societal
attitudes and harmful traditional and customary practices (P. Maharaj, 2013).
The World Assembly on Ageing held in Madrid was instrumental in encouraging African governments tofocus more attention on the issue of ageing (P. Maharaj, 2013). The International Plan of Action emphasizes
the crucial role of governments in “promoting, providing, and ensuring access to basic social services,bearing in mind specific needs of older persons” (United Nations 2002). However, the understanding of theliving situation of older persons is still limited. On the other hand, Kenya has started the universal pension
for older persons aged 70 or older, “Inua Jamii 70+”. Therefore, it is important to describe the current
situation of social welfare and living condition of older persons in Kenya.
2. Study area

This study was conducted in urban and rural areas in Kenya. For the urban area, my study area was
Dagoretti/ Kibera sub-county of Nairobi County (Figure 1) and for the rural area, my study was conductedin Mwachinga, Dumble and Kinango community unit (CUs) of Kwale county (Figure 2) in Kenya. These
three CUs and other locations, Mwaluphamba, Golini were also covered by the local Nagasaki University
Institute of Tropical medicine (NUITM) together with Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) which
run a Health Demographic Surveillance System in Kwale (HDSS) (Kaneko et al., 2012).

Dagoretti
Nairobi
KiberaFigure 1: Map of Nairobi county(Davies et al, 2009)

Figure 2: Map of Kenya, location of Kwale county(Kaneko et al., 2012)4

3. Methodology

3-1. Study design
This study was a situation analysis which combined the quantitative strand and qualitative strand.
3-2. Study participants(Urban area)
Study participants were the officers of Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, the community healthvolunteers (CHVs) in Kibera sub-county, the staff of community based organization (CBO), Kibera
Daycare Center for Elderly (KDCCE) and KARIKA (Kenyan Aged people Require Information,
Knowledge & Advancement), the staff of non-governmental organization (NGO), HelpAge International(HAI) and the local residents who take care of older persons in Dagoretti sub-county.
(Rural area)
Study participants were the CHVs, older persons aged 60 or older living in Kinango, Dumble, Mwachinga
CUs, and the residents who lived in Kwale HDSS area. The officer of the Department of Social Protectionin Kwale County were also the study participants of this study.
3-3. Data collection method(Quantitative strand)
To measure the proportion of older persons aged 60 or older in Kinango, Dumble, Mwachinga CU,
registration of older persons in these three CUs of Kwale county was conducted by the CHVs between 14thand 17th March 2020. For the Kwale HDSS data, it was the secondary data collected in 2017 and it was sentfrom local coordinator of KEMRI in Kwale to the researcher, between April and May 2020.
(Qualitative strand)
To describe the implementation of the universal pension, “Inua Jamii 70+”, the focus group discussions
were conducted among the officers of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection and the staff of HAI on
24th January 2020. To explore the challenges of “Inua Jamii 70+” and living condition of older persons, thefocus group discussions were conducted among the CBO staff of KDCCE and CHVs in Kibera sub-county
on 4th February 2020 and the CBO staff of KARIKA and the local residents in Dagoretti on 23rd, 24th January
2020.
3-4. Data analysis(Quantitative strand)
The proportion of older persons was calculated as the number of older persons aged 60 or older divided by
the total population. To describe the living conditions of older persons, living arrangements and household
size of older persons were outcome variables. Living arrangements were categorized into “Alone”,“Skipped generation household”, “Older only”, “With adult”, “With adult and child”. Household size wascategorized into “one person”, “two to three persons”, “four to five persons” and “more than six persons”.
To identify categorization of living arrangements, age was categorized into three groups as “Child (0 to14)”, “Adult (15 to 59)” and “Older (60 or older)”. The analysis of quantitative data was performed by
5

STATA 16 software to examine the association between outcome variables and gender using crosstabulation and logistic regression analysis.
(Qualitative strand)
The focus group discussions were conducted in Swahili language and the minutes were prepared by the
researcher and transcribed into English to summarize the implementation of “Inua Jamii 70+” and explore
the challenge of the universal pension and living condition of older persons.
4. Research findings

4-1. Quantitative strand
The number of villages, households, total population and older persons in three CUs are presented in Table
1 and the proportion of older persons aged 60 or older in the three CUs and Kwale HDSS in 2017 is shownin Figure 3. The proportion of older persons aged 60 or older was 7.2% in Mwachinga CU, 5.8% in Dumble
CU, 5.4% in Kinango CU, and 5.4% in Kwale HDSS, respectively.
Figure 4 shows the household size of older persons in 2017 from Kwale HDSS. Only seven percent ofolder persons lived alone and around 60 % of older persons lived in a more than six-person households.
Table 2 shows the demographic status and living arrangements of older persons. Table 3 shows theassociation between living arrangements and gender. Results of living arrangements of older persons showthat the older females were more likely to live alone or in a skipped generation household compared toolder males. On the other hand, older females were less likely to live in a “With adult and child” household
which means that older males were more likely to live in a “With adult and child” household.
Table 1: The number of villages, household, total population and older persons in three CUs

Name of CU# of Villages# of Household

Total population# of older persons (60+)

Mwachinga

6

625

3281

239

Dumble

10

624

4053

236

Kinango

16

1751

9695

527

Total

32

3000

17029

1002

6

8.0%
7.2%
7.0%
5.8%

6.0%

5.4%

5.4%

5.0%

4.3%

4.0%
3.0%
2.0%
1.0%
0.0%
Mwachinga(2020)

Dumble(2020)

Kinango(2020)

Kwale HDSS
(2017)

National(2017)

Figure 3: Proportion of older persons aged 60 or older in three CUs and Kwale HDSS (2017)

Figure 4: Household size of older persons aged 60 or older in Kwale HDSS (2017)7

Table 2: Demographic status and living arrangement of older persons in Kwale HDSS

Demographic status and living arrangements
Alone

Variable
n

SGH

%

Sex
Male
65 5.58%
Female 101 8.29%
Age
60-69
87 5.59%
70-79
57 9.64%80+
22 9.28%
Religion
Christian 23 12.23%
Muslim 116 7.71%* n=1,692 for Religion

Older only

With adultWith adult and
child
n
%
P-value

n

%

n

%

n

%

12
36

1.03%
2.95%

55
65

4.72%
5.33%

217
213

18.63%
17.47%

70.04%
65.96%

0.001

31
15
2

1.99%
2.54%
0.84%

75
32
13

4.82%
5.41%
5.49%

280
106
44

17.99% 1,083 69.60%
17.94% 381 64.47%
18.57% 156 65.82%

0.032

1
37

0.53%
2.46%

14
75

7.45%
4.99%

33
289

17.55%
19.22%

0.079

816
804

117
987

62.23%
65.53%

Table 3: Association between demographic status and living arrangement of older persons in Kwale HDSS

Alone

Variable

Skipped generation

Older only

With adultWith adult and child

OR (95%CI) P-value OR (95%CI) P-value OR (95%CI) P-value OR (95%CI) P-value OR (95%CI) P-value
Sex
Male

1

ref

1

ref

1

ref

1

ref

1

ref

Female1.52(1.10, 2.11)

0.010

2.92
(1.51, 5.64)

0.001

1.13
(0.78, 1.64)

0.495

0.92
(0.75, 1.13)

0.464

0.82
(0.69, 0.98)

0.033

4-2. Qualitative strand
4-2-1. Implementation of universal pension
According to the focus group discussions among the officers of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection
and a staff member of HAI, the results were following;
1) Beneficiaries are people aged 70 or older and they can receive 2,000 KSH every month2) It was started in 2018, however, registration of beneficiaries was conducted only in 20173) It was not ready to distribute to beneficiaries in time,
Approximately every two months, universal pension had been distributed.
4) Since 2020, it was ready to distribute every month.
5) Ministry of Labor and Social Protection and an NGO (HAI) plan to conduct a longitudinal study focusing
on the impact of interlinkage between universal pension and accessibility to health care services
8Based on the above results, the financial issues were the barrier of distribution to older persons, but the
government of Kenya has tried to expand the coverage of universal pension and to monitor and evaluate
the impact of universal pension through the longitudinal study collaborated with the HelpAge international
which is the secretariat to a global network of organizations promoting the right of all older people to leaddignified, healthy and secure lives.
4-2-2. Challenges of living condition of older persons
Through the focus group discussions among the local residents, the CBO staff (KDCCE and KARIKA),
and CHVs, the findings are following;
1) Local residents were not familiar with the life course of ageing. It meant that they do not know-how
people got older.
For instance, some symptoms of ageing such as loss of eyesight, easy to fall, depression, social isolation,and decreased physical activity, etc.
2) In terms of use of universal pension, it was revealed that inappropriate use of universal pension such as
using to drink alcohol or tobacco or gambling. In addition, it was reported that other household members
use universal pension of the older person.
3) Some older persons faced discrimination by household members as well as their community. For
example, the community people said, “Older persons don’t have any value and they just waste money”.
Also, other local residents said “Some older persons don’t have any food. It means household members
don’t share the food with older persons”.
Based on the above results, lack of knowledge and awareness toward older persons may lead to such ageism
especially the discrimination against older persons. Even though the staff of CBO and NGO tried to ensure
the rights and dignity of older persons through the community engagement such as making the older persongroup, those above challenges were still observed in the field.
4-2-3. Challenges of universal pension of older persons in Kwale County(Especially focusing on vital registration system)
As a result of the focus group discussions among the CHVs and the officers of Department of Social
Protection in Kwale county, obtained findings were as follows;
1) Department of Social Protection has the data of persons with disabilities (e.g. number, their location anddemographic status including age, name, sex etc.); however, they do not have any data on older persons.
2) It was revealed that the lack of knowledge amongst older persons about the effectiveness of identification
card. For instance,
CHVs said “Older persons don’t know how useful identification (ID) card is”, and some older persons
do not have any form of identification.
3) Wrong or damaged ID cards were observed among older persons.
For example, discrepancy of age that age of older persons was lower than their child’s. On someID cards, it was not possible to identify their date of birth or name due to long-term damage
According to the above results, there was a lack of awareness about older persons, so it can be assumed that
universal pension is not adequately covered due to insufficient registration system.

95.

Discussion

The findings of my study revealed that the proportion of older persons was higher than that of 5.4% of
Kwale HDSS in 2017 and the national average of 4.3% in 2017 (United Nations, 2017). Based on thisfinding, it can be assumed that population ageing was observed in my study area of Kwale County especiallyin rural area. It is also related to the urbanized city, Kinango which is located in Kinango CU and Dumble
CU is the neighbor of Kinango CU. A previous study shows the population ageing is associated with anurbanized environment (Beard and Petitot, 2010). There are eight domains linked with this environment asfollows; 1) personal mobility, 2) safety from injury, 3) security from crime, 4) health behavior and 5) social
participation, 6) access to information, 7) community support, and 8) health services (Beard and Petitot,
2010). Even though it is unknown which domains were improved and contribute to the living situation ofolder persons, it is observed that the progress of population ageing differs by community. From the field
experiences, Mwachinga CU was more marginalized, every household was scattered and each road was not
paved, compared to the other two CUs. This may imply that the above realities in the field can be adeterminant of differences in population ageing by community.
The result of the household size of older persons shows that around 60% of older persons in the Kwale
HDSS area lived in a more than six-person households. This result was consistent with the household size
among the differences of religion and trend of total fertility rate (TFR). A previous study mentioned that
Muslim people has the largest household size out of the other religious groups (NW et al., 2019) and around
75% of people in Kwale County were Muslim. In addition, TFR in Kwale county has declined from 7.2
children per woman in 2008 to 4.7 children per woman in 2014 (Odwe, 2015, KNBS, 2015); however, it
was still higher than the national average of Kenya. Based on this evidence, many older persons in the
Kwale HDSS area lived in a larger household with more than six persons.

From the findings of living arrangements of older persons, older females were more likely to live alone andin a “Skipped generation households”. These results were consistent with previous studies (Kinsella andWan, 2009, Zimmer, 2009). In addition, older persons living alone or in a “Skipped generation households”
and households with only older persons are more likely to face poverty compared to older persons livingwith at least one child (Zimmer and Das, 2014). Even though the number and proportion of older persons
living alone, in a “Skipped generation household”, or household with only older persons were not so large,
older persons living in those types of living arrangement were more likely to struggle with poverty.
Based on the findings of the challenges of universal pension for older persons, it was revealed that there
was a lack of awareness or less prioritization for an older person. A previous study mentioned that thedemographic and health survey is an important source of data, however it usually excludes older population(P Maharaj, 2013). Therefore, the data regarding the older persons from censuses are not reliable. This
reality could be linked with the lack of awareness of older persons.
Discrimination against older persons by household members was reported from some CHVs. This is related
to social norms mentioned by a previous study in which older people are seen as unproductive, weak,
helpless, and unable to absorb new information or learn new skills; therefore, they have nothing tocontribute and are an economic burden on society (Economic Commission for Africa 2007). In addition,
the ageing process which is often accompanied by changing physical appearance may lead to stigmatization,
assault and in the most extreme cases, death, because one of the most common associations with older
10people, especially women, is they are witches or witchcraft (de-Graft Aikins et al. 2010). Therefore, thiskind of myth can be related with discrimination against older persons.
On the other hand, Kenya has a national policy for older persons based on the Constitution of Kenya, 2010.
It promotes and safeguards equality and non-discrimination of persons based on age, whereas obligates thestate to provide appropriate social security to needy older persons. Therefore, older persons should live with
dignity and in a secure community; however, the national policy does not meet the issue and needs of older
persons.
Triangulating the findings of both the quantitative and qualitative strand, the issues and needs of older
persons is likely to increase based on the increasing number of older populations, and related challenges
such as ageism including discrimination by society and family members, and insufficient distribution ofuniversal pension, and facing the poverty. Kenya has a social protection scheme and a constitution for older
persons as the national policy. However, it seems that both social protection and related policies do notmeet the issues and needs of older persons in Kenya.
6.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the findings of my study can contribute to Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) 1 and 3.
The exact number and proportion of older persons living alone or “Skipped generation household” orhousehold consisting of only older persons can be useful to estimate how many older persons may facepoverty. If the policy makers know the number of older persons, they can know about the reality of poverty
especially among older persons. As I mentioned above, the officers in Department of Social Protection
don’t have any data regarding older persons so that this finding can also contribute to making them moreaware of the living situation of older persons.
For SDGs 3, the findings of my research revealed the challenges of universal pension and the living
situations of older persons. Lack of knowledge and awareness as well as insufficient vital registration
system can be a barrier to distribution of universal pension “Inua Jamii 70+” to beneficiaries aged 70 orolder. If the policy maker knows these facts in the field, they can improve the system of registration anddistribution for the universal pension of older persons. Then, they can contribute to promoting the wellbeing of all ages including older persons by improving the coverage of universal pension.
Finally, it should be emphasized that Kenya is not an ageing society now, however Kenya will face anageing society in the future. Therefore, the findings of my research can contribute to a sustainable and aged
friendly society by providing the policy maker in Kenya with the field evidence for ensuring the life andwelfare of older persons.
•Acknowledgement
Firstly, I would like to thank to Prof. Osamu Saito, Dr. Natsuko Imai, Ms. Rieko Sato, and all staffs whoorganized this Global Leadership Training Program (GLTP). Thanks to many supports from them, I could
get much precious experience and such experience contributed to making good relationship with the local
supervisor and coordinators at the host institution, KEMRI. Secondly, I would like to express myappreciation to the local supervisor and coordinators, Dr.Violet Wanjihia in Centre of Public HealthResearch, KEMRI, Nairobi, Kenya, and Mr. Mwatassa Changoma, Mr. Kisule Abdhulaham, Mr. Morris
Ndemwa in NUITM-KEMRI project, for supervising and supporting my research. In the field, they have11

provided me with many experiences and I could conduct the research safely. Especially in this year, 2020,
we met unprecedented situation, COVID-19. Even though it was difficult for us to continue our research,
we could procced the research remotely with a lot of their support in the field. In addition, I reallyappreciate all the study participants who cooperated with my study. Finally, I would like to thank mysupervisor and co-supervisor in Nagasaki University, Assistant Prof. Miho Sato and Prof. Kazuhiko Moji
to recommend me to apply and participate in this GLTP.
•

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sub-Saharan Africa. Res Aging 36, 271–296. https://doi.org/10.1177/0164027513484589
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World Population Ageing 2017 - Highlights (ST/ESA/SER.A/397).

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II.

Reflection to the GLTP in AfricaoYour motivation to participate in the GLTP
My motivation to participate in the GLTP was based on my former experience with JOCV (Japan
Overseas Cooperation Volunteers). I was assigned as a physiotherapist in order to build therehabilitation department in Newala district hospital and to spread the knowledge and skills of thesocial protection for people with disabilities in the Mtwara region, southern east part of Tanzania. I
found that there were so many patients who were affected by non-communicable disease and older
persons were more likely to suffer from these diseases. But unfortunately, social protection and welfare
services for older persons and persons with disabilities were very limited.
Therefore, I would like to clarify the situation of older persons and how social welfare and protection
such as universal pension for older persons contribute to lives of older persons in Africa. Then I
decided to conduct the research with the focus on the living situation of older persons and applied to
the GLTP. GLTP has a good relationship with academic and local partners in Africa. I think that it isa great opportunity for me not only to obtain the financial and administrative support but also to
encourage me to create partnerships with the researchers in Africa as well as to obtain much field
experience. Also, GLTP has a lot of the field and technical experience in terms of preparation andimplementation of research. Thus, I thought they could kindly provide support to overcome thelogistical, administrative, ethical issues and unpredictable issues in the field.

oField experiences
I acquired a lot of field experiences through this GLTP. It was a most precious time to understand the
local contexts of the field in Kenya and I tried to make the time as valuably as possible. I could
communicate with CHVs in Swahili which is the national language in Kenya. Therefore, they kindly
accepted me as one of their colleagues and they actively asked me about their challenges they faced in
the field. I felt that I could make a good relationship not only with my local supervisor and coordinators
in KEMRI but also with CHVs through this opportunity.
At the study site, in Kwale county, I communicated not only with the local research partners but alsowith the residents in Kwale county. Their culture, community structure, languages were different fromthe capital city, Nairobi and other cities as well. Kwale is located in the coast area and their tribes
consist of “Duruma”, “Digo” and “Kamba”. I made use of my skills in the Swahili language and tried
to learn about their tribal languages. Finally, most of the local residents understood who I was, what I
came to do in Kwale, so they were very friendly to me and greeted me as one of their friends. When I
lost my wallet in one day, local residents returned it to me. I was very surprised, because I was
supported by local residents in terms of security. After that, if I enquired about any concerns, theykindly supported me without any expectation. I shall never forget this experience and I will go back to
the field in Kwale for further research or as a public health specialist to contribute to their society.

13Figure 3: Field activity with local residents and thestaff of CBO (KARIKA) in Nairobi

Figure 4: Field activity with local residents and thestaff of CBO (KARIKA) in Nairobi

Figure 5: FGDs among the officers in departmentof social protection in Kwale County

Figure 6: Presentation for County Health Management
Team members in Kwale County

Figure 8: FGDs among CHVs in Kinango CU
Figure 7: FGDs among CHVs in Dumble CU
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oChallenges
There were challenges regarding the differences in the Swahili language between Kenya and Tanzania.
Some words were not usually used in Kenya. For example, “Shikamoo” is the greeting words toward
older persons to respect them. Especially in Nairobi, people never said this word to an older person,
so that older persons did not do any reaction if I greeted them by saying “Shikamoo”. Also, some staffs
of an NGO, HAI said, “Your language is more standardized compared to us” so that they sometimes
didn’t understand what I said in Swahili, but I could understand what they said. This was not a big
barrier for me and more likely to be good experience for me. I tried to understand and adopt theirwords and grammar by frequently and kindly making conversation with them.
In addition, I conducted the data collection and management with local coordinators of KEMRI
remotely. I sometimes faced difficulty when communicating due to the time difference and unstableinternet connection. I tried to send reminders to them by WhatsApp which is a more familiar Social
Networking Services for local coordinators. Then, I continued to contact them by email. The usefulnessof WhatsApp is that we can know whether they have already read or not. Then, I can speculate on theirinternet connection as well as their level of busyness. I would like to maintain good relationship withlocal coordinators, CHVs, the staff of a NGO (KDCCE) and an NGO (HAI) through communicating
WhatsApp. This was also one of the challenges but also this was a good field experience for me as
good communication tools are needed to keep in touch with them.

oHow to make use of this experience to your future career development
To extend the experiences and acquired knowledge and skills, I would like to become a project
manager focusing on the healthy and active ageing in the world. I have an ability to speak Swahili
language which is used in East African countries such as Kenya, Tanzania. In addition, I haveinternship experience in ERIA (Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and EAST ASIA), HelpAge
International which are focusing on ensuring the right of life of older persons. Also, I have six-yearsof clinical experiences as a physiotherapist in Japan and two years experiences in Tanzania. To
maximize my knowledge, skills and those above experiences, I would like to engage in the projects
especially focused on the healthy ageing in the world including Africa regions and to become a bridge
between Asian countries and African countries.
According to projection, all the countries in the world will face the population ageing in the future,
because of epidemiological and demographic change. We should corporate with each other by sharing
the good practices in each country to improve society and make an age-friendly society. To make useof this academic aspects and field experiences, I would like to contribute to the ageing society in the
future.
Also, I would like to make use of good networks with the researchers, local coordinators andsupervisors in the host institution, KEMRI for further study focusing on the health status and social
network of older persons. Traditionally, the older persons are supported by social network and family;
however, the development of society can facilitate urbanization which weakens social ties andkinship. As I mentioned above, the social welfare of older persons is not enough to ensure thelives of older persons. Therefore, it is important to make sure how their living arrangement and social
network. The findings of that further study can be useful for SDGs 3 to ensure the health and well15

being for all at all ages.
oEncouragement to other students
I think that the opportunity to participate in the GLTP is good for all student who are interested in the
research in Africa. UNU-GLTP has a lot of field and academic experiences and kindly gave us a lot ofgreat support in research activity. Firstly, they have lots of research networks and academic institutionsin Africa. Secondly, they are used to conducting research in Africa so they are used to administrative
procedures and can overcome any issues in the field. Thirdly, they have various experiences andknowledge to make our research and stay in Africa more secured.
We could also learn not only from the academic components through the research activity but also
from the field experiences in Africa. We can interact with the local partners such as county officers,
village chiefs, the CHVs even the local residents. These relationships are very informative for us when
conducting our research in the field. It is beneficial for us to know the local contexts, culture and lifein Africa. These field experiences could make our thoughts and own view wider and more diverse. It
can contribute to thinking globally and acting locally and promoting a more sustainable society that
includes a macro and micro view. Finally, a great relationship with the community people andacademic institute will be useful for conducting future research and projects as well. As I mentioned
above it is a precious opportunity, and I highly recommend all students who want to conduct researchin Africa to participate in this GLTP program.

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