Women disability lobby wants lawmakers to pass Bills

A community based organisation of women and girls living with disabilities in Kenya has called on lawmakers to pass pending Bills.

Women Challenged to Challenge (WCC) said the Bills have overstayed and its time they are enacted into laws to help their members.

"We have issues like The Kenyan Sign Language Bill, 2023 that we need also to see the government or the parliamentarians really going through the process because if it becomes an Act, is going to enforce and protect the use of sign language," said WCC National Director Jane Kihungi.

The Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2023 has also not been passed into law.

"These are Bills that we have really been waiting for to be passed into law. They have also gone through the process of participation, we have given our views and taken by Parliament. Last week Kenyan National Association of the Deaf was in Parliament presenting the issues on Kenyan Sign Language Bill, 2023. So really those are some of the pieces that we want to see them to become laws," Kihungi said.

United Disabled Persons of Kenya (UPDK) CEO Sally Nduta said: “We are also calling on the government, specifically the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, to really fast-track the finalisation of the National Disability Policy. This is an important piece of policy that really guides the government ministries both at the national and county level on matters of concern of persons and women with disabilities.”

“Because that's when the government is planning policies and developing programmes, ministries will really be guided," she added.
Nduta said they have gone through a long process, have given their input to organisations of persons with disabilities and gender and they now want that process to be completed.

She said The Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2023 has been developed through a consultative process with other stakeholders in the sector.

“We know that this piece of legislation is a requirement. We have given our views so we really want that process to be implemented. A good gift, you know, on this day, as we observe the International Day of Girl Child, of course we also have the girls with disabilities, is to pass that legislation,” she said.

They spoke on Friday during the launch of 2024 to 2029 strategic plan.

The new plan, which will cost Sh1.3 billion has five key areas; organisational development, disability or human rights sensitisation  and economic empowerment, health, research and documentation and networking and collaboration.

“Our strategic plan has been informed by several things. One is the issue of disability. We need to keep on sensitising people on issues of disability. The other area is about the rights of persons with disabilities and specifically women and girls,” said WCC secretary general Josephata Mukobe.

“The health, including the reproductive, sexual and reproductive health for women with disabilities is another. It is an area that is still green and has caused a lot of unfairness or discrimination when it comes to reproductive health amongst women and girls with disabilities," she added.

On empowerment, the former Principal Secretary, Mukobe said PLWDs have no economic base and no money.

"They get very little respect in Kenya and empowerment will take the form of being trained in income generating activities and other economic activities," she said.

Ms Kihungi said the new plan will require Sh1.3 billion to implement and called for financial support.

“As one of the founder member of WCC, I would want to say that the strategic plan is a document that is going to take us to the highest level in our life.  And so we are looking forward to its implementation,” she said.

“As you can see the amount of money needed is huge and budget is quite ambitious, but in one way or the other we will not be able to raise the funds without our partners. So, we are also asking for the support of our partners that we have and others maybe to come also on board and join Women Challenged to Challenge to empower women with disabilities,” she added.

She said this plan is different from previous one because it has gone through a participatory process.