Stop making retirement look like a curse to claimants

Reference is made to a story that was aired on NBS TV last Saturday,  October 24, where a former primary head teacher at Kasimeri Primary School in Moroto District was featured as having resorted to begging in order to find something to eat. 

Mr Paul Losia, a retired educationist, served for 30 years as a teacher. Indeed, he is one of the many people who are finding life hard after retirement. This has resulted in such antisocial behaviour as way of earning a living after waiting for pension even after decades in vain. 

Because of financial constraints, some retirees have resorted to begging for money to buy food and newspapers to read about what is happening in the world outside their setting. This is pathetic to Uganda, a country that has registered success in many of its operational fields, but fail to take care of its retirees, who contributed towards building this success. 

Uganda has four major retirement benefit schemes,  which include the Armed Forces Pension Scheme, Public Service Pension Scheme, Parliamentary Pension Scheme and National Social Security Scheme. 

It disheartens to learn that government has not given prime attention to pension clearance in good time to assist people who are vulnerable at retirement age.  

In Uganda, issues of corruption and age falsifications have been used to counter retirement challenges because it is clearly indicated that retirees find it hard to access their retirement benefit, especially those under public service pension scheme. 

Ideally, retirement is a burden and, therefore, it is never a free will.  There is need for government to hasten retirement benefits to enable the beneficiaries to avoid this sickening behaviour. 

In addition to the retirement benefits, educationists who retire should be entitled to weekly newspapers to make them busy and psychologically satisfied since they are knowledge seekers and newspapers are one of the sources of knowledge and information. 

Amos Thembo,
 [email protected]