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Compassion for the elderly wins rights activist Edwin Kibe global award
The annual Gerson Award for Arising Leaders highlights young leaders who bring innovation, compassion and bold vision to aging services.
Dedication to the welfare of elderly persons has won Kenyan human rights advocate Edwin Gitau Kibe the Gerson Award for Arising Leaders.
The award is a prestigious international accolade celebrating early-career advocates making a profound impact in the field of aging and combating age-based discrimination.
Kibe is the founder and Executive Director of UHAI Kenya, a nonprofit organisation working to promote health, dignity, and human rights of older persons through community-based programs, policy advocacy, and partnerships.
The award, presented annually by Gray Panthers NYC, a renowned US-based organisation, highlights young leaders who bring innovation, compassion and bold vision to aging services.
It honours individuals who have recently stepped into the movement with passion, creativity, and dedication, challenging age-based discrimination and reshaping narratives around aging.
Kibe is part of a select group of four change makers globally who were recognized for stepping into the aging justice movement with “unwavering commitment and creativity.”
Through UHAI Kenya, a grassroots non-governmental organisation, Kibe has positioned himself at the forefront of the movement to defend and uplift the rights of older persons across the country.
“Gray Panthers NYC is thrilled to honor Edwin’s vision and grassroots leadership.
His approach exemplifies the future of aging justice community-driven, evidence-based, and grounded in human dignity,” said Michelle Arnot, President at Gray Panthers.
She added: “By winning the Gray Panthers Gerson Award, Kibe has placed Kenya on the global map of emerging leaders in aging advocacy. His work not only challenges ageism but redefines how society views and treats its older members.”
In response, Kibe said: “As Kenya navigates the challenges of a rapidly aging population, the recognition serves as a beacon of hope, reminding us all that aging is not a burden but a stage of life that deserves respect, care, and inclusion.”
His programs are said to have reached thousands of older persons in Kenya through free medical camps done in partnership with Lions SightFirst Hospital- Loresho, St Mary’s Cottage Hospital, Thika offering screening and treatment for eye conditions, ENT issues, diabetes, and hypertension, musculoskeletal and degenerative conditions related to aging.
Rooted in data, compassion, and action, Kibe’s initiatives are guided by a baseline survey he conducted in April 2024 on the socio-economic and health status of older adults in Kandara, Murang’a County.
This research has formed the bedrock for evidence-based interventions in areas such as healthcare access, social protection, and combating isolation and ageism among older persons.
UHAI Kenya has also provided psychosocial support, mental health wellness services, distributed dry foodstuffs and clothes, organised community forums to address alcoholism and drug abuse that affects older persons directly and indirectly, and spearheaded the formation of older persons associations, creating platforms for support, connection, and empowerment.
“Ending loneliness, isolation, and neglect among older persons is at the heart of what we do. This award is not just for me it is for every older person we have served, every volunteer who has walked with us, and every partner who believes in a just and age-inclusive society,” Kibe shared.
In June 2025, to mark UN World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (UN-WEAAD), Kibe led an elder abuse screening and assessment in partnership with SUQOON Foundation, HAMAT Healthcare, MICOP, Capwell Industries and other older person’s organisations.
The findings revealed that older persons in Kenya continue to suffer violence, abuse and neglect in form of physical, emotional, psychological, and financial abuse thus calling for urgent attention to the need for stronger protections and responsive policies.
Beyond community work, Kibe is a passionate policy advocate. He has participated and represented civil society in high-level forums including the national UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on the rights of older persons and has actively engaged in national consultations convened by the State Department for Social Protection and Senior Citizen Affairs as well as monthly discussion forums on aging in the country.
Kibe disclosed that a key hallmark of his approach is his strong engagement with local administration, community health promoters, village elders, opinion leaders, religious leaders and institutions, and elected officials like Members of County Assembly (MCAs); that he blends with national government agencies like NACADA, Murang’a County government, privately owned corporate institutions and community based organizations.
“Our model emphasises localisation, ownership, and sustainability ensuring that interventions are culturally relevant, embraced by communities, and have long-term impact,” he maintained.
Gray Panthers NYC is an intergenerational advocacy organisation fighting against ageism and for human rights, social justice, and dignity for people of all ages.
