Nakuru County Partners with UK Group to Enhance Awareness on Disabilities

NAKURU COUNTY – In a collaborative effort to support Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), the Nakuru County government has partnered with the Brecon Group, a UK-based organization, to launch a month-long awareness campaign aimed at fostering inclusivity for PWDs.

According to Kenya News Agency, the County Chief Officer for Youth and Sports, the partnership with Paul Lindo Hood of the Brecon Group is designed to utilize both mainstream and social media platforms to amplify the recognition and contributions of PWDs within the community. The announcement was made during a meeting held at the Nakuru County Empowerment Centre in Bondeni, outlining the campaign’s culmination into a Para volley tournament in mid-March for the Southern Region, themed ‘Disability Is Not Inability.’ This event is organized jointly by a Mau Based Community Based Organization (MBCBO) and the Nakuru County government.

Hood, representing the Brecon Group from Wales, UK, expressed the organization’s goal to enhance health, education, and alleviate poverty among PWDs through sports and educational support, with assistance from volunteers. He highlighted the multitude of challenges faced by disabled individuals, including lack of education, employment opportunities, poverty, stigmatization, and public transport issues, emphasizing that these can be addressed through awareness and improving living standards.

The Chief Officer detailed the county’s efforts in empowering PWDs through the distribution of mobility aids like wheelchairs, crutches, and hearing aids, alongside monetary grants to registered groups, underlining the county’s commitment to the welfare of disabled persons.

Despite the 2010 Kenyan Constitution ensuring 5 percent of public sector jobs for PWDs, the high dropout rates from schools due to poverty have hindered their employment opportunities. The 2020 Kenyan Population Report indicates that 918,270 people aged five years and older live with a disability, representing 1.95 percent of the total population.

Joseph Ogutu, the chairman of PWDs in the county, criticized the lack of parental support for disabled children’s education, emphasizing that acquiring skills significantly increases their employment prospects, as guaranteed by the constitution.