Nairobi — Former Meru Governor Kiraitu Murungi is set to graduate next month from the Columbia University in New York with a degree in positive psychology having studied a course that focuses on happiness.
Murungi said he stumbled upon the course online and decided to study for it in the aftermath of his loss at last year's General Elections.
"I stumbled onto a course because I was very disappointed...I was very stressed so I did a course on happiness studies academy. I registered for it and I have just completed it. I am going to Columbia to graduate next month," Murungi said.
Murungi lost to independent candidate Kawira Mwangaza at the August elections having served as the county head for five years.
The former Minister for Energy further divulged that the course has opened his eyes on the importance of making the most of what life has to offer instead of dwelling on the negative aspects.
"It is a course on positive psychology...they say we focus too much on the negative aspects of life. Even the media...even history, it is just a history of horrors but life is not like that. There are those days where people are happy and those days are not properly captured. So, we have been looking at how can you make your life happy...how can you have a more fulfilling, purposive life. You can see I look much younger than I was when I was a governor," he said.
Murungi was speaking on Thursday afternoon at the Nairobi Club during the annual general meeting of the Kenya Association of Retired Officers (KARO).
The association, which consists of civil servant retirees, protects, advocates for and promotes the rights, interests and entitlement of retired officers, in addition to catering for their welfare.
The former governor admitted retirement is a lonely life in which most of these affected are no longer viewed as significant but a burden.
"When you retire, you become obsolete. You become irrelevant, a burden to others and an object of pity. Even in the village, you are abandoned by your friends and sometimes by the members of your own family. You are miserable and ignored...basically there are two main enemies of retirees, which is poverty and diseases," Murungi added.
The former Imenti South legislator, who is KARO's patron, urged the Cabinet Secretary for Labour, Social Services and Social Protection, Florence Bore, to ensure that the recently signed Social Health Insurance Act does not hamper access to healthcare for elderly persons.
"Madam CS, KARO's flagship project, the enhanced NHIF cover is under threat. If it is withdrawn, many of the retirees you see here will die of cancer and diabetes. Please save their lives. As KARO we want to work with you to ensure the rights of the elderly as per Article 57 of the constitution," he said.
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Speaking at the same time, the CS admitted that elderly persons are undergoing challenges, no less than a meagre pension that is insufficient to cope with the increasing cost of living.
"What we know in our office space is you are retired and have a pension but it never hits us that pension is very little and is never improved. We only know you are comfortable but never sit and think beyond. I even ask my mother (a retired teacher) whenever she goes to the bank, what amount she is going to withdraw but she never tells me. I think it is too little," Bore said.
The CS appreciated the efforts of the association in improving the welfare of elderly persons and undertook to continue working closely with KARO to implement the government's agenda for senior citizens.
"My ministry will continue to collaborate and listen to your input for the furthering of services to senior members of the society. I wish to particularly highlight and appreciate KARO's work in advocating for pension policies and legislative reforms for sustainable wellbeing of older persons. This aligns with the government's transformative agenda," she said.
Bore revealed that the government will disburse cash to beneficiaries of the Inua Jamii programme in time in a departure from the norm where many of them have had to wait for long before receiving the funds.
