It is a Thursday afternoon in Nairobi’s Karen estate. A bunch of men and women in their 60s, 70s and 80s are dancing, playing, running, dancing some more, and meditating for the better part of the afternoon under the guidance of a bunch of youth in their 20s. Sounds heavenly, yes, but it is quite rigorous.
These are retirees who have formed a group called Golden Inspiration—because really, to borrow the hackneyed phrase, old is gold.
The Golden Inspiration group, founded by Bedan Mbugua, is where elderly Kenyans go to feel young again. Retirement, those who say things say, is wasted on the old the same way youth is wasted on the young—which is why the elders live not like there is no tomorrow, but like tomorrow is today; not waiting till the end to eat the best piece of candy because then you might not have any teeth left. Youth might be wasted on the young, but Mr Mbugua and his cohort prove that you are only as old as you want to feel.
“I pitched this idea when I realised that a lot of people my age are ever tired and all they have is a remote for changing the (TV) channels. A majority are sickly, with a medical condition or two so I decided to start something. Initially, I had thought about a gym but then I discovered that gyms have very little ventilation so they can make us sweat,” says the 75-year-old.
Mr Mbugua, who speaks with the air of a monk meditating on a mountain, is not new to this game. He is the president of Green Blue Foundation Africa, a citizen-driven initiative that aims to restore Kenya and Africa to its former green and blue splendour.
He was the pioneer founding editor of the People Daily newspaper. But even before that, he was in the medical profession, trained as a pharmacist and working for a Swiss company.
“I was encountering a lot of lifestyle diseases. In Kenya, lifestyle diseases are the norm. From cancer, diabetes, and arthritis to asthma, I said it is not right for a society to be this sick. Plus, I was tired of hearing about India medical tourism (where one in perhaps every 10 conversations is about a Kenyan who is or just travelled to India for treatment),” he says.
That is what prompted him to start the retirees’ group just around the pandemic period. It had about 50 people then, but now they are 26 retirees drawn from various professions: teachers, lawyers, doctors, nurses, and entrepreneurs.
“With my pharmaceutical background and environmental conservation programmes, I realised that there is a connection between our human health and the environment. I said what if we created exercises that are enjoyable and we can keep ourselves fit and active? I talked to a few trainers and they said it is possible. We also have a programme where we plant trees during our members’ birthdays,” he says.
Green Blue Foundation Africa President Bedan Mbugua and his colleagues participate in tree planting activity at Karen on April 27, 2023.
Photo credit: Kennedy Amungo | Nation Media GRoup
They combine birthdays quarterly—that is every four months— with a member volunteering to host. Today, it so happens to be the day they are celebrating January, February, March, and April babies’ birthdays. We are at one of the members, Jela Ojwang’s house, where her patio is creaking from the weight of assortments of foods: there is nyama choma, ugali, rice, mbuzi, more nyama choma, Indian foods, and lots of fruits. There was also lots of wine.
“We usually exercise first and then we will eat. We are flexible, depending on the weather, and what our leader, Mr B, has planned out for us,” says Ms Ojwang’.
Here, they call Mr Mbugua, Mr B, and treat him with the reverence of a truth-giver uncle holding court: a wise and wizened ageing oracle whose advice is like a salve upon a burning scald.
Usually, the retirees meet at the Ngong Sanctuary in Nairobi where they do cardio exercises, ball games, dancing, stretching and a health talk from invited practitioners.
Martin Wahogo, 42, says the group has helped his father, Wahogo Sr, a retired teacher. “His memory is still sharp,” he says.
Wahogo Sr stays in Nairobi’s Huruma estate and says this is one of the things that he looks forward to every Thursday.
“He is more active, he talks more, far removed from the days he’d just sit in the house and watch TV. Now he even smiles more, and can’t wait to meet up with his friends here,” says Martin.
Wahogo Sr is one of the more recent members, having joined earlier in the year. He is also one of the oldest members, clocking in at 80 years old.
Golden Inspiration dance and fitness coach George Kiongera.
Photo credit: Kennedy Amungo | Nation Media Group
George Kiongera is the 27-year-old whose expertise—alongside 26-year-olds Cecilia Mwamburi and Ellyjoy Gitari—is to keep this group active. Mr Kiongera says the wellness sessions are up to a maximum of one and a half hours.
“We do 15-minute stretches, a warmup, aerobics for 20 minutes, dance fitness for 30 minutes, which is followed by a concentration game or football for keeping the mind active,” he says.
The cherry on top, he says, is when the backs of these old men and women crack as they warm down with final stretches.
“Most of them started with back aches and shoulder pains, others had minimal dementia,” he says, “but with time they share their stories and experiences of how they have improved.”
The age limit is 50 years and above, but Mr Kiongera insists that the younger generation should join too. “You register with Sh2,000, and pay Sh2,400 per month, per person. This is distributed among the three trainers,” he says.
What you glean from these retirees is that their goal is not to postpone age. The quest is to exercise resilience and come back stronger, or stay strong. What perhaps links them more than anything else, though, is how they go about their business. There is Zen-like dedication to tasks. There is a war-like determination to get through the tasks. And the pine-like patience to do it again until everyone gets it right. It is not just that they do it over and over again, it is that they do it over and over again with the silk and fading steel of a waning force.
Mr Kiongera adds that this, for the group, is now a daily habit.
Green Blue Foundation Africa President Bedan Mbugua in action at Karen on April 27, 2023.
Photo credit: Kennedy Amungo | Nation Media Group
“We encourage them to read books to keep their minds active, do stretches during the week and walks which will keep their bodies functional. Besides, we also have a WhatsApp group so they too can feel they are part of technology,” he says, giggling.
But it is not all a walk in the park.
“Sometimes they have mood swings,” he says. “It takes a lot of understanding and patience to build a relationship. If you are in a rush, you will not form a bond, and they will not be receptive to you,” he says.
Martin Wahogo, joined by his sister Maryanne Wahogo, throws down the gauntlet. This is something we would like to continue, they say. “I admire the camaraderie, especially between the men. A lot of women have their social circles, but many men tend to pull away into their little cocoons. This is what women do in chamas, men need to do a little more to keep it going. Mr B keeps on egging my father to keep active in the house, to do dishes, to walk, and to enjoy his retirement.”
To Mr B, the biggest achievement has been to see the growth of the retirees’ group and how it has become a movement. How the health of his members has changed—for the better.
“There is a lady who came with a walking stick,” he says, “I used to support her while walking but finally, within a year she no longer uses the walking stick. Personally, I don’t have [medical] conditions like blood pressure or diabetes. And I am turning 76 years old on December 18.”
It is the Italian philosopher, Dante Alighieri, who once said, “The wisest are the most annoyed at the loss of time.” I am not one to argue with—or against—philosophers, and so, in a bid to save my own time, I join Mr B and the Golden Inspiration to let loose, and I do mean let loose, everyone is dancing, drinks are flying and the party—nay, sherehe— is only just getting started.
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