Over 100 persons living with disability in Kajiado County have benefited from a mass physical assessment and disability card registration exercise aimed at ensuring that eligible persons living with disability in the county are issued with disability cards.
Speaking at the registration exercise, nominated Member of County Assembly (MCA) representing people living with disability in Kajiado County Josephine Sharrar said that persons living with disability experienced a challenge with individual registration and issuance of disability cards.
“The biggest challenge faced by persons living with disability is the lack of a disability card which is an obstacle to receiving services they are entitled to from the national government and the National Council for People Living with Disability. Through this mass registration exercise, I will be able to follow up and ensure they receive a disability card,” said Sharrar.
According to Nancy Kamweru a Board Member of United Disabled Persons of Kenya (UDPK), the disability card ensures that persons living with disability have access to rights like medical services and employment opportunities provided for by the Kenyan Constitution.
“It is important to create awareness to persons living with disability on the importance of being registered in the national database at the National Council for Persons Living with Disability. For those who are visually impaired like me, the disability card will provide them access to optical services. The Constitution also stipulates that five per cent of all employed people must be persons living with disability,” Kamweru said.
The persons living with disability in Kajiado have further called for more inclusivity in national sports through construction of infrastructure accessible for persons with disability at stadiums and facilitation of games for persons with disability like sitting volleyball and wheelchair races.
They have also benefited from donations of food items at the mass disability card registration exercise through a county government sponsored initiative.
Kajiado County government has a fund for persons living with disability which provides access to assistive devices like crutches, wheelchairs and education grants for children living with disability.
By Amy Moyi and Gworo Alice
