President Uhuru Kenyatta was the Chief Guest in this years International Day of Persons with Disabilities held at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi on 3rd of December 2021.
In the history of the commemorations, this is the first time a Head of State has graced the event.
The President stated that the Day provides an opportunity for the country to reflect on the journey traveled in enhancing disability inclusion, and also take stock of areas that require more work.
In his address, President issued the following directives:
- That the Attorney General, Ministry of Public Service, Gender, Senior Citizens Affairs and Special Programmes hasten the process of reviewing the Persons with Disabilities Act 2003 and have the bill enacted by Parliament during the life of the current Parliament.
- That the Ministry of Public Service, Gender, Senior Citizens Affairs and Special Programmes ensures the process of registering persons with disabilities under the new registration system is provided at NO COST. He also appealed for county governments to consider waiving the cost of assessment in gazetted health facilities, which is a requirement for registration.
- That the Ministry of Health fast-tracks the integration of rehabilitation services at all levels of our Healthcare system – including policy and in the Universal Health Coverage.
- That the Ministries of Health and Education ensure progressive increase in human resource for rehabilitation in the national and county level, and also support institutions of higher learning develop capacity for training of rehabilitation personnel. The President also launched the ???????????? ???????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????? developed by the National Council for Persons With Disabilities this year, aimed at addressing data gaps and curbing cases of fraud. The system will also offer a new generation disability identification card with security features to prevent potential fraud and ensure the right people get registered.The President also launched the Status Report on Disability Inclusion in Kenya 2021.
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Prof. Margaret Kobia MGH, Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Public Service, Gender, Senior Citizens Affairs and Special Programmes was the Chief Guest during the lighting-up ceremony of the iconic KICC.
The event was courtesy of Google and MyPurpleSpaces – a movement lighting up iconic buildings across the world to celebrate and raise awareness on the economic contribution of the ???????????? ???????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????? ???????????? ????????????????????.
This occasion by Google and Purple Spaces was the first in an African city.
Executive Director Harun Hassan thanked Google for coming up with the initiative to celebrate employees with disabilities and spark conversations on Disability Inclusion in the workplace.
Prof. Kobia said that Kenya stands tall among nations in the pursuit of disability inclusion, but there’s still a lot of work to do. She asserted government’s commitment and readiness for similar partnerships with stakeholders to mobilise support and improve the state of persons with disabilities.
The event was also graced by Agnes Gathaiya (Google’s Country Director for Eastern Africa) Mariam Abdullahi(Director, Platform Partnerships and Executive Sponsor, Disability Alliance Africa Google) and Nana Gecaga (CEO, KICC).
