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{
"id": 1443352,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1443352/?format=api",
"text_counter": 122,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Mbugua",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 899,
"legal_name": "Mary Njoki G Mbugua",
"slug": "mary-njoki-g-mbugua"
},
"content": "parents spent everything including selling land to educate them. We have been told in this country since we were young that usome utapata kazi nzuri na utaishi maisha mazuri. These young people went to school in the hope of getting jobs and helping their parents, but they are faced with helplessness. Article 55 of our Constitution, as read together with the Persons with Disabilities Act of 2013, reserved five per cent of employment in all Government Ministries and Parastatals to PwDs. I can read for you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir One section said that this was to be actualised progressively. Ten years down the line according to the status report, which was just released the other day, the Status Report on Disability, this Act has not been properly implemented. In the report, we came to learn that over 240 Government agencies in this country have never employed any single person with a disability, yet we have a law. The excuse they give is that the Constitution says it has to be implemented progressively. Now that the youth have said that we need action, at some point maybe this is a constitutional moment where we have to look at the weaknesses of some of the laws we have. It is time we remove the term progressive so that we can enforce this. In that said report, out of the entire workforce of the Republic of Kenya, only 1.32 percent is PwDs. So, when you see some of these young people with a lot of anger, you imagine that they are children whose parents were disabled and they thought they would help them, but it could never come to be. I was very happy the other day when I heard His Excellency the President say it is time that we wind up some of the Parastatals which are performing the same function. On that note, I bring to the attention of this House that when it comes to matters of disability in this country, Parliament enacted the National Council for Persons with Disability Act, 2003, which is a legally mandated body to handle matters to do with disability. Also in this country, we have another fund called the National Fund for the Disabled of Kenya, which is registered under the Trustees Perpetual Succession Act. This body has received government money over the last 20 years, and it has never been subjected to any Parliamentary oversight. This institution, despite receiving hundreds of millions of shillings from the Exchequer, has never been audited by the Auditor-General. When I raised a question on the Floor of this House so that we could engage this body, it took a whole year for the trustees could agree to appear before the committee. When they came and we asked them what they do, they act as an investment company, and all the money they have been receiving, they have bought buildings, and whatever goes to help the persons with disabilities is a mere 30 per cent. I bring to the attention of this House that among the other things which shocked us when the trustees of this fund appeared before us, they have put a whole Kshs780 million in a fixed account. This is taxpayers' money, which was meant to help PwDs. As an action point, I would be calling on this House that we call these two institutions here and they address how they have been spending the money given to them. I would be imploring this House that we must insist that this money, which is taxpayers' money, put in fixed deposits, be immediately made available and distributed to the various PwDs groups in this country. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
}