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{
    "id": 1393029,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1393029/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 198,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kirinyaga County, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Njeri Maina",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Article 27 of the Constitution in its entirety and specifically, in Clause 4, indicates that no person should suffer any discrimination because they are differently abled. We have a legislation and policies of various relevant ministries in place, but we fail at implementation. This is the same thing that happens to the 30 per cent for Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) that is meant to be set aside for women, PWDs and the youth to access opportunities from public and private institutions. It is quite a disappointing thing because we cannot only have the law in academia. The intention of the drafters was for the Constitution of 2010 to be wholly, implemented. We must also have performance indicators and evaluation mechanisms to ensure that once we have those policies in place, they are being complied with. It is also very disappointing to note that often at times, the society looks at differently abled persons as bothersome, and as if they are too needy. I had the privilege of having a discussion at the Peoples’ Dialogue Festival with representatives of PWDs. First hand, you can tell that they are disadvantaged from the very dint that they were created that way or, perhaps, along the way of life, had accidents. It is a very unfortunate situation that we must focus on mainstreaming implementations, including even in the private sector. Most of those institutions lack the basic infrastructure to ensure that differently-abled persons have access to those facilities, including the health facilities, despite the fact that there is a law in place and that the 2003 Act stipulates that differently-abled persons must be facilitated with infrastructure to ensure that they access certain facilities. It is the right time, and the Committee has recommended implementation within three months. Perhaps, they can try and give more time. I also request the Committee to follow up on whether it has been implemented. We do not need any subsidiary legislation. The law and the Constitution are very clear. Therefore, those institutions are not compliant with the Constitution of 2010. As a House, we must make sure that we fully implement the Constitution of Kenya, 2010 and support PWDs. Thank you."
}