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{
    "id": 759836,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/759836/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 116,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "NOW THEREFORE, the Senate urges the National Government to put in place the following measures through the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of East African Community, Labour and Social Protection:- 1. Undertake vetting of all persons living with disabilities in Kenya to ascertain those who are unable to afford payment of contributions to the NHIF; and 2. Set aside a special fund for remittance of contributions to NHIF for those persons who are living with disabilities and cannot afford to pay the contributions. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the Kenyan population is estimated to be 45 million. Out of this, 15 per cent are persons living with disabilities of various types and categories. There is a saying that if you want to know the dignity of a nation, you need to look at how it treats her weakest or minorities, for that matter. That purview or that ambit is where persons with disabilities always find themselves. Kenya has committed itself to the attainment of universal healthcare in various treaties and global declarations that we are party to. Indeed, the right to health cannot be gainsaid as enshrined in Article 43 of our Constitution that speaks to economic and social rights. In it, all Kenyans are supposed to access affordable and quality healthcare. Kenya is also a member to the treaty of the United Nations Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities. Article 24 of that Convention speaks very expressly on what State parties are supposed to ensure for persons with disabilities in relation to access to health. That, of course, has an impact on their human dignity as envisaged in Article 28 of our Constitution. Our own Constitution is also replete with various provisions that seek to ensure the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the body politic of our country. However, this can only happen if such members and such citizenry are also healthy. If you look at our Constitution, it expressly mentions persons with disabilities in a record 18 times. In the spirit of the new Constitution, health services have been dissolved. Therefore, they fall under the purview of the county governments. This House which is supposed to debate on issues concerning counties is where we need to debate on how we can improve the health services of persons with disabilities. It is also true that 79 per cent of persons with disabilities live in rural areas, essentially our counties. Therefore, when such a matter arises, this august House is called upon to legislate, debate and persuade. This is because Motions in their very nature are not legislative and compulsory, but they are persuasive. Why is it that we need to look at this matter? It is not the absence of the law, but it is in doubt in this case. It is not because earlier Parliaments, in their wisdom, have not pronounced themselves on this matter. The issue is, indeed, well enshrined in the Persons with Disabilities Act No.14 of 2004, where the Government is supposed to take care of all persons with disabilities who are in constant need of medical attention. I can see our former Legal Officer of the Disability Council, the Senate Deputy Majority Leader, consulting. These are issues that persons with disability hold very dear. Why are we here? It is because there is a bi-directional covariance between poverty and disability. What covariance? The covariance is that poverty leads to"
}