Kisumu County feted for enacting law on disability

Kisumu County government has been feted as a front runner in the localisation of United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability (UNCRPD) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Following the recognition, the County on Monday received a high calibre delegation from the International Disability Alliance (IDA) and the United Committee of Experts in honour of being the first county to ratify the Disability Act of 2016.

Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o, in a speech read on his behalf by his deputy Dr Mathews Owili, termed the visit as an opportunity for Kisumu County government to highlight how far we have come as a county in localising the key elements in UNCRPD and SDGs.”

The governor pinpointed key areas in which the County has mainstreamed in respect to localising International Instruments on Rights of Persons with Disability, the highlight of which is the enactment of Kisumu County Persons with Disability Act (2016).

Besides the Act, formation of Youth Women and Persons with Disability Fund, inclusion of people with Disability in Trade Funds forms the other major PWD milestones accredited to the County.

Furthermore, a Special Delivery Unit that oversees the implementation of the UNCRPD, SDGs and the Kisumu County Persons with Disability Act sits at the core of the County’s PWDs framework.

“Due to leadership support, issues of People Living with Disabilities are not only mainstreamed in legislation, policies and programs but implemented by the County government of Kisumu,” noted the Head of Special Delivery Unit, George Okong’o.

Such efforts recently saw a farmer with disability, Michael Obiero, from Nyando sub-county in Kisumu bag the 2017 Best Farmer Award trophy.

The other core implementation component by the county has been on paying homage to the 30 per cent allocation of opportunities to PWD across the county.

To this front, people living with disability in the county are tax exempt with 11 groups in the category getting access to over Sh1.3 million in credit with another 280 getting educational and bursaries loans.

In addition, four ward beds in Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital accessible by Persons Living with Disability with 60 amputees receiving artificial limbs commonly known as prosthesis courtesy of the County Government.

County Executive Member for Health Dr Rosemary Obara, however, reckons that there still exists a gap in aligning the training of health workers to match emerging concerns in matters dealing with the Persons Living with Disability.