Everyone Is a Future Retiree

 

Adeladius Makwega, MBAGALA

“Five elderly people are seated on metal chairs. One is wearing a shirt, jacket, and earth-colored trousers and is sitting on the first chair. The second chair is empty, but another elderly man is standing beside it, looking at the chair; one of his legs is wrapped in a white POP bandage, and both his hands are supported by two wooden crutches that help him walk, as he talks with his fellow elders. On the third chair sits an elderly woman, wearing kitenge fabric, exchanging a few words with the others. On the fourth chair there is another elderly man, but his image is not clearly visible because trees block the view. On the fifth chair sits another elderly man, dressed in a neat suit and wearing a hat like that of Lord Lofa.”

It is a morning like any other, and Mwanakwetu comes across this scene exactly as it appears before him.

Mwanakwetu’s question then becomes: what problem do these elders have?

“These elders come for verification; they are retired public servants. This verification is done once a year, and if a retiree is alive but does not undergo it, this can result in losing their entitlements.”

These public servants are verified either by PSSSF or the Treasury (Hazina Ndogo). Wherever the verification takes place, it must be done so that they can secure their rights. 

 

Mwanakwetu then bade farewell to the relative who answered him and went elsewhere, where he was told the following:

“Makwega, my home is Tukuyu. The verification was being conducted by PSSSF in Mbeya town. At first the process was easy, because my elder brother had a small car. We would fuel it; those of us who are employed would contribute for fuel from Tukuyu to Mbeya and back. Then my brother’s child, who is the grandchild of our elderly parents, would help escort our father to PSSSF Mbeya. This went on until the old man’s condition worsened. We contacted them and were told to go to the hospital so that his condition could be assessed. Then I went to PSSSF; the old man was verified, but later his condition became critical and we could not manage, until the old man passed away.”

Mwanakwetu also contacted a retired woman, who said this:

“Verification for retirees is good when you are in good health, because you meet colleagues you once worked with. But when your condition is bad, it becomes embarrassing and a burden to go for verification. You used to dress smartly, but now you are wrapping yourself in clothes because of your deteriorating health, becoming frail, and every minute you need to be taken to the restroom. I advise that verification should be done at the offices of District Commissioners.”

After gathering all this information, Mwanakwetu decided to put it all into this article you are reading, my reader.

What does Mwanakwetu say today?

Indeed, the aim of this verification is good: to know the condition of our retired public servants and the challenges they face. Through this article, Mwanakwetu advises that it would be better for verification to be conducted where the retirees live—at the street, village, or ward level. It is not right for a retiree to travel 70 kilometers for verification when their health is poor; for example, traveling from Tukuyu to Mbeya (70 km) or from Mahenge, Ulanga to Morogoro town. This is oppression of our retirees. There are retirees who have children and grandchildren; having children is a matter of God’s will.

“There are retirees who were not blessed with children; public service was their only ‘child.’ Who will give them a car? Who will buy them fuel? Where will they get a grandchild to escort them?”

What can be done—whether by PSSSF or the Treasury—is that if verification is once a year, their staff should be allocated fuel for government vehicles, given allowances, and then go out to visit retirees in their homes. This is possible.

“A public servant retires according to the law, which means they can no longer perform public service effectively. So how does it make sense that they then start being harassed—on bicycles, motorcycles, buses, and cars—just because of their rights? This is unacceptable.”

So where is the problem? Is it PSSSF? Is it the Treasury? Is it the Ministry of Finance? Is it the Ministry of Public Service of Tanzania? Is it the budget in Parliament? Is it the Cabinet? We must identify who the ‘wizard’ is in this matter. Or if the problem lies with the Controller and Auditor General (CAG), let us know them by name so that when they too retire and come for verification, we can tell our grandchildren,

“Stand aside—this is the source of all these problems facing retirees today.”

To the staff of the Treasury, PSSSF, and even hospitals, Mwanakwetu asks that they provide this service properly to our elders, with all their hearts. And the authorities mentioned earlier should act on this issue urgently. Everyone is a future retiree.

Mwanakwetu, are you there? Remember:

“Everyone Is a Future Retiree.”

I wish you a good day.

makwadeladius@gmail.com
0717649257