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{
    "id": 491356,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/491356/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 229,
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    "content": "Disabilities became part of Kenyan law in 2008; appreciating that Article 54 (1) (b) of the Constitution gives persons with disabilities the right to access educational institutions and facilities that are integrated into society to the extent compatible with interests of such persons; further appreciating that Article 53 (1) (b) of the Constitution provides for free and compulsory basic education to every child; noting that the Basic Education Act, 2013 emphasizes the need to provide equal opportunities for education to all children including those with special needs and disabilities; the Senate urges the National and County Governments to take immediate measures to mainstream education and training for learners with special needs and disabilities by establishing and equipping at least one institution for children with special needs and disabilities in every county. Madam Temporary Speaker, it is unfortunate that this Motion is coming now. It should have come at Independence where every district or province would have an institution of this kind. But going by the present census, you will find that there are some counties or regions which do not even have learning institutions of this kind. Going by what we see in the countryside, you will find children who are handicapped and disabled. Some of them cannot even think. Since these are our children, as the Senate and country, we should therefore, pay a lot of attention to them so that they can also access education. I have been to some institutions where some of these children are accommodated. When you get there you pity the situation. There are not enough teachers while others are not even trained on how to handle these children. Some of the facilities are wanting. When these children become sick, there are no medical facilities in the neighbourhood. They have to walk long distances to reach the medical facilities. Some of the institutions are not even fenced yet they are supposed to accommodate children who board in the same institutions. This poses danger to these children because they can jump over. They can sneak out of the compound and get lost. As the Government and people who have been independent for the last 50 years, this is an area which we must all be concerned about. Madam Temporary Speaker, I have come up with this Motion because many times when you get to some of these institutions, you will be shocked. You will be told very sad stories of how a person as old as 20 years cannot write or even comprehend where he is, yet they are supposed to be cultured and tutored. That is what this Motion is trying to capture. Whenever you visit some of the institutions, you will find children laughing uncontrollably for no reason. Some of the teachers who teach in those institutions have not been trained in any specialized institution. We have only one such institution in Kenya. So, the Motion is asking the county governments to tell us the number of children who are suffering. Some parents do not even like exposing some of these children. Some do not want people to know that they have such children. As a result, these children continue undergoing untold suffering and yet they are born by parents who are normal. Sometimes they are disowned and neglected like orphans. They The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}