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{
    "id": 771335,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/771335/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 42,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. ole Sankok",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13166,
        "legal_name": "David Ole Sankok",
        "slug": "david-ole-sankok"
    },
    "content": "Hon. Members, the theme of this year, IPDP with disabilities was “Transformation towards sustainable and resilient society for all”. Kenya has made tremendous strides towards achieving the aim and implementing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability (UNCRPD) ratified by Kenya in 1982. We have done this as a country through Article 154 of our Constitution and through a Person with Disability Act of 2003, Session Paper 14 and also we have been able to achieve this because of the goodwill of the Government which has set up policies and funds that assist persons with disabilities. Examples are the establishment of the National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF) that targets women, youth and persons with disabilities. Persons with Disabilities (PWD) nowadays access duty free vehicles and tax exemption. Maybe, Members are not aware that despite the fact that all of us are Members of Parliament, those with disabilities earn a bit more than everybody else because they do not pay taxes. I am not inviting you to join our club so that your salaries can go up. Ladies and gentlemen, also persons with disabilities access Government procurement opportunities which are also a Government policy that is targeted towards achievement of the UNCPD. Hon. Members, despite the above achievement and robust support from the Government, gains have been raped, mutilated, thwarted and suppressed by certain cartels in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. These cartels have thwarted the full realisation and enjoyment of these rights and privileges by persons with disabilities who consider persons with disabilities as unimportant and a liability to the society. Hon. Members, this scenario has occasioned the postponement of International Day of Persons (IDP) with Disabilities from 3rd December to 7th December this year by the Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Labour. Hon. Members, you can imagine an international day that is celebrated worldwide but only postponed in Kenya because PWDs are not considered as an important part of this society. If they were able to postpone the International Disability Day (IDD), then let them also postpone Christmas or 1st January when we are celebrating. Hon. Members, there have been numerous cartels in the Ministry for instance the CS and other officials awarding themselves foreign travels purporting to represent persons with disabilities yet they are not disabled yet the (UNCRPD) indicates very well, nothing for us without us. For sure, they do not go to represent PWDs in these forums. They go there because of the plump allowances and per diem that are given there. Further, the cartels in the same Ministry have also resolved to disburse Cash Transfer Funds (CTFs) manually with the sole aim of earning huge allowances under the pretext of monitoring. Lastly, taking into consideration the mobility challenges of cash transfer target groups of older persons, persons with severe disabilities, orphans and vulnerable children, we demand that CTFs be channelled via Mobile Money Transfer (MMT) to the rightful beneficiaries. We have had cases in which persons with disabilities go to collect their funds and during collection days, you will see as if we have a rally because it is only one point. Some of them travel 200 Kilometres away to go and collect these funds. We would like this Fund to be channelled through MMT. There was a case in Samburu in which a person who was entitled to Kshs28,000 was only given Kshs10,000 yet he signed for Kshs28,000. However, when we asked why he did not request for the Kshs28, 000, he said since it was free money he just went. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}