•Kilifi Deputy Governor Flora Mbetsa assured the deaf persons that the county government is going to address their issues
•Deputy Governor Mbetsa was the chief guest and she officially flagged off the procession of the deaf community at Malindi Waterfront Park.
Image: ALPHONCE GARI
Deaf people have asked President William Ruto to use Sh300 million from the so-called "Hustler fund" and fund the training of deaf people in business and other professional skills.
They said the move will help gradually reduce the use of affirmative action.
Led by the chairman of the Muslim Deaf Association of Kenya Abdi Abdile, they also called on the National Council for Persons with Disabilities to set aside Sh200 million per year to fund projects, businesses and other undertakings by deaf people.
Abdile said senior deaf citizens should also be given critical consideration in medical care, independent living, housing, and in movement.
“We note that His Excellency the president constituted a cabinet consisting of 22 persons. This cabinet, however, is discriminatory as it does not conform to the cornerstones of the Constitution of Kenya, which stipulates that five per cent of the elective and appointive posts should be reserved for persons with disability," he said.
Abdile spoke through sign language interpreter Linda Chebet from the Council for Persons Living with Disabilities, during the Annual Deaf Awareness Week celebrations in Malindi, graced by Kilifi Deputy Governor Flora Mbetsa.
The chairperson noted that one disabled person ought to have been appointed to the cabinet. He appealed to the president to consider appointing one deaf person as Principal Secretary.
He said county governments should also employ deaf people, to help them access services.
“We have a lot of challenges as deaf people which we face; so we are appealing to the government to help us address these challenges so that we can get the deaf people being trained in colleges and get jobs," he said.
Deputy Governor Mbetsa was the chief guest and she officially flagged off the procession of the deaf community at Malindi Waterfront Park.
She assured the deaf community the county government has strategies to support them through 30 per cent of tenders, which are set aside for youth, women, and people with disability.
She said the deaf community will be represented in the county government in key service providers such as hospitals.
Image: ALPHONCE GARI
"We shall also create opportunities for the deaf communities to study higher education. I have been told they excel very well so they will decide whether to be nurses or work in any other area in the health department," she said.
Mbetsa said key service providers like the police, and Huduma Centre should also have interpreters to help the deaf.
Ustadh Omar Athman, an Imam from Malindi, said the government ought to address the challenges faced by the deaf community as they are suffering.
He said whenever they go to hospital, they cannot express themselves because there is no interpreter
"This government belongs to Mama Mboga and there is no other hustler on whom we should be focused more than the deaf people. Already we have seen them missing in the top government appointments, where will they go? They need to be included?" He said.
Wanjiru Mbugua of Kesho Kenya, an NGO that is implementing a project that focuses on inclusive education, called on the government and all stakeholders to address concerns of the deaf community.
She said there are deaf learners in schools such as Kibarani School for the Deaf, Pwani School for the Deaf, and Sahajanad Special School, who deserve to be supported so as to live their potential and fulfil their lives.
"Our President Dr. William Ruto, we call upon you to help the deaf community in Kenya, to protect their rights, and to ensure an inclusive community for all in line with this year's theme for deaf awareness week," she said.