Special Paper No. 32 of 2022 on Enhancing Inclusivity by Empowering Persons with Disabilities (PWDs)

Abstract

Kenya has made milestones in legal and policy environment which aim at supporting the persons with disabilities (PWDs). This is demonstrated through the inclusion of disability issues in the Kenya Constitution (2010) and enactment of the disability Act (2003) as well as development of the disability policy. As a result, various sectors have developed sector specific policies to inform decisions on how to empower and enhance the welfare of PWDs. However, PWDs still face various forms of exclusion in various socio economic dimensions. In the health subsector, about 80 per cent of PWDs do not access quality medical services compared to 50 per cent of the general population that lack capacity to access health services. Among other actionable recommendations, there is need for targeted budgeting and planning which will also include subsidizing membership to national hospital insurance scheme; universal registration of PWDs to the national medical insurance and preferential insurance premiums in private insurance schemes. On food and nutrition the findings show that persons with disabilities have higher incidence of missing food. One in every two households with PWDs reported to have missed food compared to households without PWDs. Going forward there is need for public education and supply of food supplements to PWDs for nutrition enhancement, enhance agricultural support for households with PWDs through targeted on-farm training, subsidize farm equipment and materials as well as provide special insurance premiums for livestock and crops for households with PWDs.