Education

Knut calls for passage of disability Bills for inclusive education, rights protection

Knut First Vice National Chairman Malel Lang'at (right). (Photo: Facebook/Malel Lang'at)

By Lucy Mumbi | Tuesday, May 14, 2024

The Union wants the Disability Bill 2023 and other draft laws which include but are not limited to the Learners with Disabilities Bill and the Sign Language Bill expedited.

Knut calls for passage of disability Bills for inclusive education, rights protection

The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) has appealed to Members of Parliament to prioritise the passage of pending Bills aimed at supporting Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).

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The Union wants the Disability Bill 2023 and other draft laws which include but are not limited to the Learners with Disabilities Bill and the Sign Language Bill expedited.

Knut First Vice National Chairman Malel Lang'at expressed deep concerns over the sluggish progress in enacting disability laws.

He noted that the union has consistently raised alarms concerning the legislation of the Bills but these are yet to be addressed.

He lamented the government's apparent diversion of attention towards fast-tracking other Amendment Bills, some of which may have adverse effects, instead of focusing on legislation to benefit PWDs.

“The government is busy fast-tracking Amendment Bills in the labour, education and Teacher Service Commission (TSC) sectors but delays PWD legislations hence affecting the realisation of rights of challenged persons and Learners With impairments,” Lang'at said on Monday.

He reiterated that PWDs have waited for far too long because the bill review began a long time ago and is still pending.

Equal opportunities

Lang'at emphasized that the legislative measures are essential to promote inclusivity and ensure equal opportunities for individuals with disabilities in Kenya.

“Members of the National Assembly should as a matter of urgency spearhead the process and progress of passing the Disability Bill 2023 and other draft laws which include but are not limited to Learners With Disabilities Bill and Sign Language Bill,” he said.

Additionally, he highlighted Knut's commitment to integrating PWDs into leadership structures and advocated for better facilities in learning institutions to accommodate disabilities, as outlined in Article 54 of Kenya's Constitution.

The Persons With Disabilities Bill 2023 seeks to ensure every person with a disability is entitled to specific measures that accelerate equal participation in the social, cultural, economic, civil and political fields.

It will also ensure no person is excluded from the education system on the basis of disability and ensure all educational institutions are adjusted to the needs of persons with disabilities.

Further, it will include people suffering from autism in the exemption of taxes for disabled persons as a way of empowering them.

While emphasising the matter, Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura said bringing up children with disabilities is too costly and pledged to lobby for the bill to be passed to make life easier for people with disabilities.

“Parents with children with special needs are overburdened by their needs and require as much support as possible,” he said, noting that the bill will also shield parents of disabled children from income tax.

He spoke on May 3, 2024, at Muriranjas Hospital in Muranga County during the commissioning of a modern physiotherapy unit established by the county government in partnership with several non-governmental organisations.