- PWDs must first register with NCPD to benefit from programmes being implemented by the government.
- According to its strategic plan 2013-2017, NCPD was expected to have registered 1.4 million PLWDs by the end of 2017-2018 financial year.
Image: FILE
About one million Kenyans living with disability are not benefitting from state programmes, auditor general Nancy Gathungu says.
The programmes aim to incorporate them in societal activities.
Gathungu in her performance report said some 850,000 persons living with disabilities are yet to be registered by the National Council for Persons with Disabilities, to benefit from the initiatives.
The report for the period ending December 2021 said only 526,648 persons living with disabilities had been registered with the council.
It said the lag in registration of PWDs is mainly attributed to delays at the Director of Medical Services office in giving final recommendations.
Also, rejection of assessment reports, delay in submission of assessment forms and failure to follow the right procedure while submitting assessment forms.
Gathungu sought to establish whether the government has improved the welfare of persons living with disability through programmes implemented by NCPD.
The council is mandated to formulate and implement policies geared towards mainstreaming PWDs.
PWDs must first register with NCPD to benefit from programmes implemented by the government.
NCPD is a semi-autonomous government agency in the State Department for Social Protection, Senior Citizens Affairs and Special Programmes at the Ministry of Public Service.
The report further said the Cash Transfer Programme has not improved the lives of persons with severe disabilities.
It said the Sh2,000 stipend has remained the same for 10 years, since inception of the programme.
“….with the passage of time, inflation has eroded the value of this benefit,” the report said.
Gathungu further said in most cases, the Sh2,000 per month stipend has been their only source of income to meet basic needs such as feeding, toiletry and other essentials.
The report said the council invested approximately Sh8 billion from 2013-14 to 2019-2020 financial years in providing services and support to persons living with disabilities through various programmes.
According to its strategic plan 2013-2017, NCPD was expected to have registered 1.4 million PLWDs by the end of the 2017-2018 financial year.
The report also said majority of persons with albinism were not collecting skin care items from government hospitals.
“Some hospitals continued to receive skin care items despite low collection leading to overstocking and eventual expiry of the products,” Gathungu said.
The report however said the council has to some extent improved the welfare of PLWDs by ensuring their integration, welfare and other matters are addressed.
“Through the council, the stigma and negative cultural beliefs associated with PLWDs are reducing, with the society accepting that disability is not inability,” Gathungu said.
It also noted that the government has also introduced affirmative action of PLWDs in procurement, employment and representation.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities defines disability to include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairment.
It says consequently, their interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.
The World Health Organization estimates persons living with disability make about between 15-19 per cent of the global population.
A majority of them, about 80 per cent live in low-income countries where they experience social and economic disadvantages and denial of legal rights.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)