PWDs laud new registration plan in their counties

The government's decision to decentralise registration of persons with disabilities is laudable.

The previous system, where every application needed to go through the Director of Medical Services, locked many out of the process. Many forms got lost along the way, or others ended up at Nyayo House, where one had to physically go to locate the form.

The new system where PWDs will get their endorsement from their county directors will be faster and save PWDs a lot of stress. It is going to be a lot easier following the onboarding of the PWD registration service on the E-Citizen platform.

That is not just it. From the communication from the Government Spokesperson, it seems disability mainstreaming indicator had been left out of the performance contracting process for ministries, departments and agencies. It has now been reinstated. This is going to accord PWDs a fair share of opportunities in the public sector.

Secondly, all public facilities must be made in such a manner that PWDs can access them. All government websites and documents must cater to this category of Kenyans who only need a little nudge to make a contribution.

In the Constitution as the PWD Act, the rights of PWDs are well enumerated, with the state required to progressively ensure at least 5 per cent of PWDs are in elective and appointive bodies. There seems to be some progress in elective bodies, particularly at the county level. However, for appointive bodies, there seems to be lag, which can be sorted by a disability mainstreaming indicator.

To be honest, the government has tried to accord PWDs their rights in line with the PWD Act of 2003. Those who have gone through the process of registration and forward requisite documents have had their salary tax exempted for up to Sh150,000. Those who have needed to import various assistive devices, including vehicles, have saved on a number of taxes.

The plight of persons with disabilities has been given its due attention through the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, which has previously organised registration drives across the country.

However, there is still more to be done. There is a lot of bureaucracy involved in assessing some of the rights and chasing requisite documents. The defining factor for most disabilities is they either affect mobility or communication. In the case where a government officer insists on having to physically see the person making an application for one service or another, this becomes a challenge.

Some of these stringent requirements are meant for good. However, there is a way we can prevent someone from having to travel from Turkana to the port in Mombasa for an officer to ascertain that he is actually a PWD.

Still, the President should consider appointing non-PWDs to critical dockets. Isaac Mwaura has proven the importance of having people who understand the plight of PWDs close to the President.

-The writer is anchor at Radio Maisha