Retired Soldiers meet to Better Lives in Retirement

Defense forces comrades' association, a gathering of retired Kenya Defense forces officers yesterday met at Amalemba area to look on how best to make of their retirement.

The retired soldiers under the patronage of Kakamega county executive for sports Major (Rtd) Suleiman Sumba purposed to channel their experience in community management tasks and entrepreneurial skills.

"We were used to taking instructions but after retiring you realise you are in a civilian environment, a free for all world. We have experience in security, management and disaster management issues. When positions like that of village elder or chief come by fight for them, don't wait for orders to occupy them," Sumba encouraged the retired solders.

The 150 soldiers across the Kakamega County were holding their first meet in their 1.25 acre land in Amalemba within Kakamega Central Business District that had been recovered from grabbers.

They recounted with nostalgia their combat years in the forces saying that they were each other's brothers than their actual blood relatives,

"When our comrades died in far off areas it's not their blood people who carried them to their homes but we fellow soldiers picket their bodies in enemy territory to our military trucks for burial. We should not cut such strong bonds in retirement," said the chairman of the Kakamega Defense forces comrades' chapter Peter Malenya who retired as a Warrant Officer One.

He went on; "We lost comrades in the battle field who had families and wives. Their wives are not locked out of the association they are members too because a wife of a soldier is a soldier."

Major (RtD) Sumba encouraged the comrades who will be meeting every 14th of the month to register a co-operative societies to elevate their chances of getting aid from government and county government to better their lives,

"We have the one-cow initiative project by county government of Kakamega, cooperative loans and a lot of investors who will only take interest in you when you are in a group," he said.

Major (RtD) Sumba at the same time encouraged all retired soldier in the county to add to the associations' numbers to make the comrades association worth its name.

The association is planning to set up a hostel on the land at Amalemba to help the retired comrades get income.