Welcome to Cheshire Disability Services Kenya   Click to listen highlighted text! Welcome to Cheshire Disability Services Kenya

Knowing more on the Persons with Disabilities National policy 2024

Home / CDSK News / Knowing more on the Persons with Disabilities National policy 2024

Knowing more on the Persons with Disabilities National policy 2024

Summary

The document addressing 26 key intervention areas aims at promoting and fulfilling the rights and fundamental freedoms of persons with disabilities through; accessibility, inclusion, transparency, accountability, and meaningful participation. Persons with Disabilities National Policy

What you need to know about the Persons with Disabilities, National Policy 2024,

The Public participation

On 22nd May 2024, nationwide public participation was held across various counties to discuss the Persons with Disabilities, National Policy 2024.

This is in line with the Public Participation Bill 2023 http://www.parliament.go.ke/node/20794 which is outlined as “the process through which the public is engaged in understanding and contributing to the decision-making process by state organs and public offices at the policy-making, law-making, and implementation level”.

As enshrined in the Constitution of Kenya 2010, Articles 10(2) 118, 196,201(a) give clear guidance on the principles of public participation, to promote transparency and accountability in decision-making.

For the first time, Kenya is set to implement a Persons with Disabilities National Policy. This long-awaited policy and lack of a disability policy has been a significant point of contention among various stakeholders

Why has it been lacking

Hon. Muhia Wanjiku, MP Kipipiri
Muhia is a disability advocate in parliament.

In a debate on 6th November 2023, courtesy of Citizen TV Kenya, we find that the National Disability Policy Draft has still been stuck since 2006 and is yet to be amended due to bureaucratic procedures revolving around the amendment of laws as per the Constitution 2010. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppF6eUR0-7g&t=272s MONDAY REPORT.

This has affected the policies safeguarding the special needs of persons with disabilities as they complain of still experiencing neglect and stigma in their social lives as well as challenges they face when seeking various service deliveries.

In that particular debate, Hon.Wanjiku Muhia MP, Kipipiri, disability advocate in parliament is heard saying, “However, earlier there have been other amendments that have seen the rights of persons with disabilities safeguarded, like the introduction of sign language interpretation for the television stations, an amendment that was seen in 2003 and later ratified in 2008,”

Muhia, who was the brain behind the amended bill, added that disability matters should not necessarily be a government agenda but holistically handled by everyone because we have a lot of civil society organizations with the capacity to handle such issues.

In the same debate, Isaac Wanyonge, Senior Disability Services Officer, National Council for Persons with Disability added that even as the constitution was amended in 2010, disability has now evolved and is very dynamic since the types of disabilities that were known by then were visual, deaf, and physical. Nobody had thought of the neuro-diverse aspect.

Concerning this, we evaluate whether the current policy takes into consideration the diversity of disability since it has been designed under the Constitution 2010, which at some point does not consider neuro-diverse disabilities like Autistic Spectrum disorder among others.

The document and meaningful youth participation

The document addressing 26 key intervention areas aims at promoting and fulfilling the rights and fundamental freedoms of persons with disabilities through; accessibility, inclusion, transparency, accountability, and meaningful participation. Persons with Disabilities National Policy

Some key issues addressed in the document are environmental and attitudinal barriers, limitations in the attainment of education for all, and specific challenges for women, girls, young persons, children, and older persons with disabilities.

The document highlights that “the prevalence of disability is markedly higher among the vulnerable section of society including children from poor households, women, older persons and those from ethnic minority groups” and has created structures to address them with the vision of enhancing disability inclusion.

youths presenting their position paper

Cheshire Disability Services Kenya. through the Make Way Programme MakeWay Supported 20 youths with disabilities to meaningfully participate in this public participation held in Kisumu County on the 22nd May 2024, at Mama Grace Onyango. whereby they had a chance to present a position paper addressing major gaps within the policy’s thematic areas.

Some of the main areas of concern for the youth were Health, Disaster Risk Management, humanitarian Emergency Response, access to information, and education for youth with disabilities among the rest.

The session brought together hundreds of citizens, mainly people with disabilities and caregivers, who voiced their concerns regarding tax exemptions for assistive devices such as wheelchairs, and other commodities needed by persons with disabilities.

persons with disabilities participating in the public particiaption

Even though there was concern about inclusive education, it was notable that most stakeholders and policymakers were missing. This made it apparent that the issue of inclusive education was only seen as a concern for persons with disabilities. This was evident from the fact that most of the participants were persons with disabilities, their caregivers, and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) for Persons with Disabilities.

To ensure meaningful participation for all persons with disabilities, public engagements should be localized at the ward level. This particular forum, which joined all Nyanza counties, posed challenges for persons with disabilities due to cumbersome movement and transportation.

The policy that has been stuck in parliament since 2006 is finally making progress, marking a significant victory for persons with disabilities in Kenya as it goes through the process that foresees its implementation and a win for persons with disabilities since Kenya has never implemented the Persons with Disabilities Policy.

With the document being referred back to the committee, we are optimistic that it will result in an enacted document that upholds the rights of persons with disabilities.

Comments 2
  • Do you offer jobs , interns, attachments for students who have pursued social care health?

    author
    MWANIKI EDWIN MATHENGE
    • Dear Mwaniki, thank you for reaching out to Cheshire Disability Services Kenya, Currently, there are no available positions that align with your interests. However, should any opportunities arise that match your interests, we will be sure to inform you. In the interim, please feel free to contact us at 0724637323 for further details.

      author
      Irene Ngolo

Leave a Comment

x  Powerful Protection for WordPress, from Shield Security
This Site Is Protected By
Shield Security
Click to listen highlighted text!