As the day to end mass voter registration nears, Likuyani Sub County Chairman for Persons Living with Disabilities (PLWDs) Moses Nanjukhi has urged parents and guardians caring for the disabled to ensure all those who have national identification cards are enlisted as voters.
Nanjukhi while speaking in Kongoni Ward said the disabled must be given an opportunity to exercise their democratic rights and regretted that leaders from the area had done little to help PLWDs register as voters since mass voter registration exercise commenced early October.
“We have so many people living with disabilities, thus can’t move to the registration centers though they have IDs but no leader seems to care about them,” a disappointed Nanjukhi said.
The chairman sent an appeal to the community to stop discriminating PLWDs, but instead exhibit care and love besides ensuring their rights are fully observed, adding that their handicaps should not be used as an excuse to discriminate them.
He also dismissed beliefs that the handicapped were valueless arguing that their deficiencies could be harnessed to the full if given equal opportunities with the rest.
“It isn’t anyone’s wish to be born with a disability and it is a crime to deny such a person his or her rights,” he said.
At the same time Nanjukhi challenged the disabled persons with leadership ambitions to openly come out and declare interest in various elective positions in the next General Elections.
He said the fact that the Constitution had created special seats for disabled persons does not imply they have completely been shut out from other positions.
The chairman urged all disabled countrywide to align themselves to top political parties of choice and to support colleagues seeking elective positions to emerge victorious.
By Geoffrey Satia
