The spouse of Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Tessie, has urged the National Council for Persons with Disabilities to increase awareness of their mandate.
Tessie said the council should enhance awareness of the services they provide beyond the registration of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).
In a speech read on her behalf by Ushiriki Wema executive director Mercylyn Mokeira, Tessie said the council needs to let Kenyans know its mandate which includes facilitating access to special education, access to government subsidies and championing support tailored for persons with disabilities in education healthcare, training, and empowerment
“By strengthening these initiatives, we can ensure their integration into society, with the resources and opportunities they need to thrive,” she said.
Tessie made the remarks during celebrations to mark this year’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
The day was themed: “Amplifying the leadership of persons with disabilities for an inclusive and sustainable future.”
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), an estimated 16 per cent of the world’s population experience significant disability, which represents one in six of the people.
The autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is estimated to affect about one in 100 children globally.
In Kenya, the 2019 census estimated the proportion of the population with a disability was 3.5 per cent.
In her remarks, Tessie appealed to Kenyans to unite in the fight to end the stigma surrounding disabilities.
“Every child deserves the opportunity to thrive, and it's up to all of us to create a society where inclusion and acceptance are the norm,” she said.
Ahadi Kenya Trust CEO Stanley Kamau lamented that most public buildings and facilities in Kenya as still not friendly to PWDs.
“Most buildings are inaccessible to PWDs. The government needs to ensure the buildings are compliant,” he stated.
Mali Therapy Centre director Pauline Wamukowa said Kenya had made great strides in integrating PWDs in the society but more still needs to be done.
“We need to have policies on inclusive education and ensure special schools are properly facilitated,” she said.
