Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 491373,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/491373/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 246,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "disabilities, they are people too. It is not a favour that they are requesting for it, indeed, it is a right. It is, in our case, a right that has been enshrined within the specific laws that Kenya has signed and, indeed, within the specific provisions of the Constitution, which then becomes very critical for us. Therefore, the barriers have to be looked at and approached in a way that will help such changes to be made. The obligation to respect the right to education is not a favour. It is a right and must be seen as so. The obligation to protect and ensure that the actors and those with disabilities and with special needs are taken into consideration is not a favour, but a right. The obligation, for example, to provide and ensure that the realization to a right to education is taken into consideration is not a favour, but indeed, a right. Madam Temporary Speaker, apart from looking at the challenges, because we say here in the Motion that the learners are faced with various and serious challenges, we need to break down these specific challenges. We do not have a legislative or a policy gap that has been sorted. What we have is an operational gap, moving from the legal to the reality through an operational system that will ensure that legislatively those who were meant to have a right to this education can actually have a right to it. The county governments need to take immediate measures to mainstream education. It is actually what is more favourable because then the learners in such institutions feel that they are integrated. Indeed, they learn and also give back. In the process even those who do not have the disabilities also begin to know what they are. They are able to interact, realize, enhance and help and it does a lot to them. Madam Temporary Speaker, I have visited a school where they have a specific stream for pupils with disabilities and special needs. You can see the sort of learning that is taking place, in fact, from those without the disabilities. It sometimes tends to be more because they realize that even what they take for granted is something that they need to be cognisant of. They learn how to treat and interact with each other. Therefore, it is very important that equipping of those particular institutions is done like yesterday. We need to do research to know what sort of instruments, equipment and facilities we need in those particular institutions. The moment we have ascertained what they are, then the next thing is to ensure that the money comes in specifically for that. Madam Temporary Speaker, a suggestion has already been given by Sen. Boni Khalwale that we could actually turn to the CDF. This is not going to be impossible for people to do so in those constituencies. They can actually set aside funds that can be used specifically for this purpose. They can be put aside and put into the institutions. In that way, we can have one institution that is the focus in a particular county or constituency. From that, it is possible then for people to know and actually use that as a model to move forward. They can equip those educational institutions to cater for people with special needs and disabilities. With those comments, I beg to support. 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."
}