More than 80 percent of senior citizens work for basic items, raising questions about adequacy of pension payouts and coverage of retirement benefits.
Kenya Retirees Association members protest against high living costs in the past.
The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) quarterly jobs report shows that 708,902 of 869,338 persons above the age of 60 were in active employment in December, representing 81.5 percent of the senior citizens in the country.
Many of those working were doing so to meet basic needs. Another 40,296 persons above the age 50 were actively looking for jobs.
This points to a possible deepening of old age poverty, which in itself has significant social implications in a country where the traditional patterns of the young caring for the old are changing.
Analysts point out that the relative low number of Kenyans saving for pension and the value of payouts at retirement have compelled many retirees or those approaching the legal retirement age of 60 to continue working.
