• Registrar Anne Nderitu on Thursday said the special interest group is yet to be given sufficient space to advance its ambitions through political outfits.
• “Affirmative action on PLWDs is slower compared with those involving women, youth, and marginalised groups,” she said.
Image: FILE
The Political Parties Registrar has decried the slow pace of affirmative action by parties in respect of persons living with disabilities.
Registrar Anne Nderitu on Thursday said the special interest group is yet to be given sufficient space to advance its ambitions through political outfits.
“Affirmative action on PLWDs is slower compared with those involving women, youth, and marginalised groups,” she said.
Nderitu, while addressing PLWDs who are officials in the country’s 75 political parties, said it was time political parties changed their approach in dealing with the special interest group.
She expressed regret that there existed further segregation among persons living with disabilities themselves, urging political parties to end the same.
“As we think of the political space, segregation still exists, hence the place for political parties to champion the rights of these groups,” Nderitu said.
“Let us deal with segregation among disabled persons. Let's not divide further amongst yourselves,” she added.
The ORPP said parties should thus form PLWD leagues that work like the women and youth leagues which are deemed as more active.
It also called on parties to register more PLWDs as members, saying the current register has low number of persons registered compared with the general population.
Kenya National Bureau of Statistics data shows persons with disability comprise 2.2 per cent of the country’s population.
The registrar’s office further called on political parties not to just reserve seats for the special interest groups, but allow them to compete.
“We will ensure there is a level playground for them to be elected through the normal process. We are pursuing changes to the law to ensure the processes are violence free,” assistant registrar Ali Surraw said.
The official said parties equally have to put in place policies that would help PLWDs deal with stigma, high cost of politics, poor accountability as well as policy and administrative gaps.
“For the PLWDs who sit in the governing bodies of parties, let us work with our outfits so that manifestos include issues with PLWDs and they should have functional PLWD leagues.”
The office said it was banking on the Political Primaries Bill, 2021, which proposes indirect nomination for PLWDs through a delegate system to solve some of the outstanding issues.
“Our office is keen on issues of inclusion of every Kenyan in the political and electoral processes. Every Kenyan has a right and an equal opportunity in the economic and political space,” Nderitu said.
The forum, that brought together all officials of political parties who represent persons living with disabilities, ends on Friday.
Edited by CM