Persons living with disabilities (PWDs) have called on the Government to recognise the use of white canes to promote safety of blind people while on roads.
The white canes are usually used by people who are visually impaired to enhance their mobility.
Speaking in Nairobi during a technical meeting to validate a guide on monitoring implementation of the Convention on the Rights of PWDs, organised by National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) in Africa, PWDs said their lives are endangered by reckless road users.
They argued that recognising white canes use will raise the level of awareness.
"When we walk on the roadside using the canes, anyone who sees it needs to recognise that the person using the stick is blind or partially blind," said Rights and Governance Consultant Lawrence Mute.
"So, if they were driving, they should do so even more carefully. By recognising the cane, the Government will have profiled and endorsed its use," he added. The former commissioner of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights said they want to feel secure while using roads.
The workshop which attracted national human right institutions from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, South Africa, Nigeria, Malawi and Cameroon saw participants validate the guide as part of implementation of the convention.
