PLWDs in Bungoma urged to form groups to benefit from Sh7 million

People living with disabilities in Bungoma have been asked to form groups to benefit from the Sh7 million disability empowerment funds.

Agnes Wachiye, the Bungoma County CEC for Gender, Culture, Youth and Sports, said the department has already received the funds.

She said that for easier disbursement and empowerment, people should form groups to benefit.

“As I speak now we have already received the funds meant to empower our people, the ward and village administrators will help them understand the procedures of getting the funds,” she told The Star in her office.

The CEC noted that the group should have clear activities that they will do after getting the funds.

In addition, Wachiye revealed that her department has plans to support PLWD’s to take part in the county sporting activities, noting that the county has already supported several of them to participate in inter-county games.

“There are a few PLWD who were selected from Bungoma to participate in the sports activities in Nairobi,” she said, adding that the county government fully supported them in the gaming activities.

She stated: “My department is determined to support the sporting activities in Bungoma to ensure that nobody is left behind.”

However, Wachiye said the main problem facing her department in communicating with the deaf is the lack of sign language interpreters, saying that once a policy goes through the county assembly, the gender department will employ a sign language interpreter.

She pointed out that the gender department is working with other partners like Christian Blind Mission (CBM) where they have distributed goats, sheep, cows and supported farming activities in Mt Elgon.

“I appreciate the CBM organisation for partnering with us to empower PLWD, indeed we have supported them in giving them goats, sheep and cows,” Wachiye noted, adding that her department will look for more partnerships to empower the PLWDs.

She added that her department is also working with the Ministry of Health and sanitation led by Dr Andrew Wamalwa in doing free medical assessments for the PLWDs in the villages.

“I have talked to my fellow CEC Dr Wamalwa that whenever PLWDs go for medical assessment, they are given certificates that help them to do business without paying taxes,” she said.

Susan Masila, county lead of Special Olympics Kenya, told the Star that her organisation has partnered with the Bungoma County government to offer free medical camps to the people living with disability after realising that many of them aren’t accessing quality healthcare services thus resulting in poor health.

Furthermore, Masila noted that the Special Olympics Kenya is an organisation that supports sporting activities but also sponsors health camps in the country affirming that without good health players cannot achieve their set goals.

She also applauded sports CS Ababu Namwamba for supporting the Olympics organisation to nurture talents.

She said a recent competition took place in June where the country participated in the sporting activities in Berlin, Germany, where Kenyan teams brought home 25 medals.