Kidero promises Sh300m boom for the disabled if re-elected
By COLLINS OMULONairobi County Governor Evans Kidero has pledged Sh300 million to Persons with Disabilities in the next financial year if he is re-elected in the August 8 General Election.
While addressing Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party disability league at Railways Club on Wednesday in Nairobi, Dr Kidero said that Nairobi County had set aside the amount for the coming financial year and was the only county out of the 47 in the country that had set such a proportion of their budget to go towards empowering Persons with Disabilities.
“We have the interest of people with disabilities at heart and in that respect we have made sure that we are the first county to set aside a large proportion of its budget to cater for the needs of persons with disabilities,” said Dr Kidero.
Governor Kidero said that Nairobi County is the only county which had enacted laws, policies and legislation that are friendly to Persons with Disabilities.
He cited the passage of Nairobi County Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2015, that looks at the needs of PwDs.
Dr Kidero also said City Hall has employed many PwDs and have a policy that gives a certain percentage of appointments to persons with disabilities in line with the Constitution of Kenya requirement of 5 per cent of appointment be reserved to persons with disabilities.
“Out of the 47 counties in Kenya, we are the only county which has passed a Bill on persons with disabilities and in this bill we recognize you. We have also employed PwDs in high level positions for instance Director of Social Services, Sub-county Administrator and even Ward Administrators,” he said.
ACCESS TO SERVICES
Dr Kidero said that they had also put up the Physical Planning Act to ensure that PwDs have easy access to buildings and that they also intend to put an executive order to ensure that persons with disabilities are given first priority in access to services.
The county government is also set to launch a director of disabilities board next week to ensure that they get more benefits.
“We will put an executive order that PwDs be given priority in accessing services, be it in the banks, lifts, buildings, vehicles and at City Hall. We also have a Physical Planning Act to ensure buildings take care of PwDs,” said the governor.
Drumming up support for Nasa, Dr Kidero hit out at the government for failing to properly cater for Persons with Disabilities.
He urged them to vote for Nasa presidential candidate Raila Odinga in the coming general election saying that his government would take care of them as the coalition’s third pillar in the manifesto focuses on empowering Persons with Disabilities.
“Disability cuts across the political divide, but unfortunately the Jubilee government has not taken care of people with disabilities. I know only Nasa will take care of you and so I urge you on August 8 to come out in large numbers to vote for Mr Odinga,” he said.
According to Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), 10 per cent of the Kenyan population, estimated to be around 45 million, are Persons with Disabilities translating to around 4.5 million people.
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