𝐒𝐎𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐄 𝐏𝐔𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐍𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐂𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒

The National Assembly Departmental Committee on Social Protection has called for stronger enforcement of disability rights and greater accountability by public institutions in implementing the Persons With Disabilities Act, 2025.

The Committee, in a session chaired by Hon. Edith Nyenze, MP (Kitui West), today met with the National Council for Persons with Disabilities to scrutinise the status of disability mainstreaming and implementation of the new Law.

Members of the Committee sought clarity on measures being taken against public and private institutions that fail to comply with requirements on accessibility, employment and reasonable accommodation.

The Committee particularly questioned whether disability mainstreaming could be incorporated into Government performance contracting to ensure institutions have measurable targets against which their compliance can be assessed.

NCPWD Chief Executive Officer Dr Michael Munene said the Council has been engaging the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary to have disability inclusion reinstated as a performance-contracting parameter.

“We have been engaging the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary to have this parameter reinstated as part of performance contracting,” he said.

Hon. Nyenze sought clarification on the Council’s enforcement powers, particularly against institutions that fail to provide accessible buildings and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities.

The Council explained that the Persons with Disabilities Act, 2025, provides for penalties for non-compliance, while the proposed adjustment-order regulations will strengthen the Council’s enforcement role.

“The Act in itself also has penalties attached to non-compliance,” he said

On the implementation of the Act itself, the Council reported that four sets of regulations are at various stages of development. These cover registration of persons with disabilities, adjustment orders, income tax exemptions for persons with disabilities, and income tax exemptions for parents and guardians.

The Council told the Committee that the regulatory process is expected to include public participation across the 47 counties before the regulations are subjected to legal review and subsequently tabled before the National Assembly for scrutiny.

However, the Council reported a Sh12.2 million funding gap in the process, with the estimated cost of completing the regulations standing at Sh19.2 million against an allocation of Sh7 million for the financial year.

Dr Munene said the Council was exploring partnerships with development partners, civil society organisations and organisations of persons with disabilities to bridge the deficit.

The Committee commended the NCPWD for progress made in implementing the Act and urged the Council to sustain its efforts while ensuring that disability mainstreaming is backed by measurable accountability, adequate resources and effective enforcement.