Government Spokesman Isaac Mwaura has condemned the body shaming of persons with disabilities (PWDs) and vowed that the government will take action against those who engage in such practices.
He highlighted the role of social media in perpetuating cyberbullying, saying the Cyber Crime Act should be fully implemented to protect PWDs from online abuse.
Speaking during the marking of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Mwaura encouraged PWDs to walk confidently and assert their rightful place in society.
“Never shame anybody because of the way they look. Don’t body shame. We want to issue a notice under the Persons with Disabilities Act. Those who are shaming us, we shall take action on them,” Mwaura said.
“The idea of shaming us because of our bodies, we are not going to be deterred by that cyberbullying. Imagine they put a challenge to mock people, is that really fair? Shame on them. Persons with disabilities must walk confidently because they too matter,” he added.
The Spokesman commended political parties that have embraced PWDs in Parliament, underlining the importance of inclusion in leadership and decision-making spaces.
Mwaura said the Persons with Disabilities Act of 2025 facilitates Kenya’s domestication of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and is reinforced by the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, which seeks to ensure equitable access to resources, opportunities and social protection.
He noted that government initiatives, among them the expansion of cash transfers and the timely disbursement of funds, are supporting more than 50,000 households under the Inua Jamii programme.
This year’s theme, “Fostering Disability-Inclusive Societies for Advancing Social Progress,” he said, underscores the constitutional principle that all Kenyans should be supported to participate in national development without discrimination.
Mwaura also highlighted the finalisation of the Persons with Disabilities National Policy, 2024, and the strengthening of the Inter-Agency Coordinating Advisory Committee, which brings together ministries, counties and organisations of persons with disabilities.
These actions, he said, reflect a whole-of-society approach based on partnership and equitable development.
In education, institutions such as Thika Primary School for the Blind and Thika High School for the Blind have received upgraded infrastructure, additional learning resources and teacher support.
Mwaura noted that last year, President William Ruto approved Sh20 million for infrastructural development at Thika High School for the Blind.
He said the government is also expanding the training of specialised teachers and increasing access to braille materials and ICT-based learning tools.
