Persons with disabilities in Kirinyaga County have been advised to register with the National Council for Persons with Disabilities to enable both national and county governments plan for their needs.
Council regional officer in Kirinyaga Mrs. Mary Mwangi said failure to register locks persons with disabilities out of government programmes intended to benefit them.
Mrs. Mwangi said the council has made important strides in ensuring persons with disabilities are well supported noting that there are still more persons being hidden in the community who need to be registered so that they can also benefit and feel part of the community.
Pics by Irungu Mwangi/KNA
Speaking in Kerugoya, Tuesday, the coordinator said the community needs to understand that persons with disabilities are part of the society who should be integrated in the country’s development programs.
She said that the council is expecting the number of persons with various disabilities in the region to go up, since they are embarking on a thorough capacity building and sensitization campaign to ensure the community understands and supports the disabled as part of them.
Mrs. Mwangi said the county governments should ensure they implement the five percent rule that requires persons with disabilities be considered for available positions in the county.
“The County government has not yet given the right hearing to persons with disabilities who should even be included in bursary committees in order to effectively represent the issues that touch on them,” she said.
Sebastian Kimani, an activist for rights of persons living with disability said services have improved since the inception of devolution, adding, they were grateful to the government and President Uhuru Kenyatta for initiating the cash transfer program in which 70 people with disabilities in Kirinyaga receive Sh2000 monthly stipend with 500 on the waiting list.
He however said much is yet to be done when it comes to their involvement in decision making positions in the two levels of government.
“We are saying that there will be nothing for us without us, Kirinyaga county government must ensure the constitution is followed and incorporate us in decision making, employment and development of our county,” he said.
Kimani has also asked those in charge of the constituency development funds to incorporate persons with disabilities in the bursary distribution committees to ensure the issues of children with disabilities are well articulated for equitable distribution of the funds.
The county government is planning to start the distribution of bursary from next month and we are asking to be involved in the Sh4 million allocation per ward in all the twenty wards of our county,” Kimani said.
By Irungu Mwangi
