The National Fund the Disabled of Kenya (NFDK) spends more than Sh300 million annually to purchase working and mobility tools for persons with disabilities country-wide, officials said.
The fund’s trustees also said that the state corporation had in the last ten years spent more than Sh1 billion to assist special educational institutions with grants to carry out various activities including the implementation of flagship projects.
The trustees, who were led by Vice Chairman Peter Nyakiamo, said this at the Magarini Disability Centre in Mpirani Village of Magarini Sub County where they donated items worth Sh1.8 million and presented a cheque of KshSh300, 000 to the centre to enable it to complete its poultry project.
A total of 55 persons with disabilities from Magarini Sub County received the donations, which included wheel chairs, orthopedic chairs, tricycles, car washing machines, welding machines, sewing machines as well as salon and barber kits, a water tank and cheques worth Sh160,000 to purchase livestock for eight PWDs.
Those who accompanied Dr. Nyakiamo were Prof. Julia Ojiambo, Dr. Mike Kisilu, Major (rtd) Masden Madoka, former Kitui Governor David Musila and Ms Charity Kiilu, who represents the Principal Secretary for Social Protection and Senior Citizen Affairs in the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection at the NFDK.
Mpirani village is infamous for the high number of persons with various forms of disabilities, with unofficial figures indicating that out of the about 2,000 inhabitants, at least 250 of them have disabilities, a scenario that prompted the Ministry of Health to carry conduct research to determine the cause.
The research was conducted last year after the media highlighted the plight of villagers but the findings are yet to be made public and the trustees and local leaders are calling for the release of the findings in order to see if preventive measures can be instituted.
Speaking after handing over the donations, Dr. Mike Kisilu, one of the trustees, said every year, the fund assists more than 3,000 individual persons with disabilities with tools, about 150 special schools with small grants of Sh300, 000 each.
He said the fund had assisted spent about Sh1 billion in the last ten years to provide grants to 195 special educational institutions to implement flagship projects such as the construction of classrooms and dormitories.
“That is why we are saying that there is no need for any child with one form of disability or another to stay at home. We urge parents with such children to bring them out and take them to school.
One her part, Prof. Ojiambo said the fund trustees had been touched by the plight of the villagers and that was why they had given it a special consideration to enable those with disabilities to live meaningful lives.
“We have brought those who cannot walk tools to make them mobile so that their caregivers can engage in economic activities. For those who are able to work, we have brought various working tools to make them generate their own income,” she said.
Major (Rtd) Madoka and lawyer Caroline Andzazi Chilango urged the Ministry of Health to hasten the research on the cause of disabilities in Mpirani village and release the findings for possible interventions.
The Assistant County Commissioner in charge of Magarini Division, Mr. Joshua Leintoi, urged the beneficiaries to make valuable use of the items and resist the urge to sell them, adding the National Administration would monitor the use of the tools.
He urged parents to ensure that all children with disabilities are brought out and taken to local special educational institutions.
By Emmanuel Masha
