Kajiado Residents Urged to support People Living with Disability (PWD)

Kajiado

Friday, July 28, 2023

KNA by Seline Nyangere/Sammy Rayiani

Kajiado County Assembly representative for People With disability (PWD) Betty Taani has called on communities living in Kajiado to embrace people with disability instead of rejecting and stigmatizing them. 

Taani said that, the county government of Kajiado is working towards a bill that will ensure that people with disability in Kajiado are catered for in terms of treatment, education acquiring mobility devices and securing jobs.

“We are formulating a bill in the County Assembly which entails the disability policy and hope in future that this policy helps the society especially the Maasai community to support PWDs because most of them like to hide people in their homes due to stigmatization,” said Taani.

Elected leaders have also been urged to empower people with disability so that they can have a chance to change their lives.

“I request the elected leaders to stand with PWDs, by empowering and educating them. These are the people who will be brought by wheelchairs to vote for them during elections, they are not supposed to be neglected,” added Taani.

In the olden days people with disability were regarded as a disgrace in the Maasai community whereby they were neglected and hidden from the society. 

However, the situation has changed over time. Special elect member of county assembly of Kajiado, Grace Parantai narrated on how difficult it was to live with disability in the maa community.

“Back then PWDs were abandoned at home, they did not have rights to education and their mothers were blamed for their condition. The Maasai people have come to accept people with disability, we have reached a point where even those children living with disability are seen as useful in our society,” narrated Parantai.

Parantai applauded organizations like Joni and Friends for donating mobility devices such as wheelchairs, cranes, walkers and crutches to people who required them in Kajiado.  

“We appreciate organizations like Joni and Friends for donating mobility devices. Through mobility, PWDs will be able to look for jobs and engage in various activities, children will also be able to relieve their mothers from duties of moving them around each and every time,” added Parantai.

Courtesy ; K. N. A