Delayed collection of data among persons living with a disability will result to inaccurate figures, lobbyists have said.
Kenya conducts a housing and population census every 10 years. If data for the people with disabilities is not collected, formulation of policies for them is hampered, they said.
Their sentiments were echoed by the director general of the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics Zachary Mwangi.
“KNBS collects data using surveys and census, which is very expensive. We need to find a way of using administrative records from different institutions as a source of data,” Mwangi said.
He was speaking during Ministry of Labour and KNBS meeting on data collection among people with disabilities at
Heron Portico Hotel yesterday.
Administration sources of data that could be added together to annual statistics include records from the National Transport and Safety Authority, the Ministry of Health Education and labor among others.
Susan Mutungi, Deputy Director social development who read the speech on behalf of Labor PS Susan Mochache said that there is need to set up a national data collection center for persons living with disabilities.
“This will help the country seal any gaps that when looking at the concerns raised by these groups because without data, we cannot do anything” Mutungi said.
The survey conducted in 2009 showed that Kenya has 1.7 million persons living with disabilities.
Chairman of the United Disabled Persons of Kenya called on the bureau of statistics to use a formula called the “Washington group “when conducting the next census slated for August 2019.
This method of collecting data involves the enumerator asking a set of six questions that seeks to identify persons who are at greater risk than the general population of experiencing restrictions in participation because of activity limitations.