Basic sign language could be incorporated in school curriculum if a draft Bill sails through the National Assembly.
The Kenya Sign Language Bill, 2023, sponsored by Nominated MP Umulkher Harun Mohamed seeks to provide for the recognition, promotion, development, and use of Kenyan sign language.
“The Bill is in line with provisions of the Constitution regarding the rights of persons with disabilities particularly, Article 54 and 56 which mandates the State to put in place measures for the promotion of the rights of marginalised communities including persons with disabilities,” the draft Bill states.
Appearing before the Budget and Appropriations Committee, Mohamed said Kenyans need to learn basic sign language from an early age.
“A lot of people you will encounter know very little about the sign language, which makes the lives of the deaf community in the country even more difficult,” she told the Ndindi-Nyoro-led committee.
Kenya ratified the UN General Assembly's Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2008, which required sign language interpreters to be incorporated in all television newscasts.
As a result, all television stations are now required to use sign language during newscasts.
The Convention also recommended facilitating the learning of sign language and the promotion of the linguistic identity of the deaf community.
The legislative proposal further proposes establishment of the Kenyan Sign Language Council to regulate sign language interpretation.
The council will also be mandated with promotion and use of Kenyan sign language and undertake research and create awareness of the culture and heritage of the deaf community in the country.
It will set and enforce standards for the training, practice and use of sign language and interpretation and register and licence interpreters.
The council will maintain a register and keep a record of all sign language interpreters registered in the country and determine the minimum fees chargeable for the provision of service.
It will also be charged with the mandate of developing and regulating ethical and disciplinary standards for sign language interpreters.
Mohammed cited South Africa where the National Assembly in 2023 approved a recommendation from the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development proposing to amend the Constitution to make South African Sign Language (SASL) an official language.
She also cited Britain where the Secretary of State prepares and publishes a British Sign Language report in each reporting period highlighting what each government department has done to promote and facilitate the use of British Sign Language in its communication to the public.