Bill seeks to add sign language to Kiswahili, English

Kenyan schools may soon introduce sign language as a third language alongside Kiswahili and English, thanks to the proposed Kenyan Sign Language Bill.

Nominated Senator Crystal Asige, who sponsored the bill, emphasized the importance of children learning sign language alongside other subjects.

“Children will learn basic sign language so that when they grow up and interact with the community, they can communicate with deaf individuals in business, friendship, or employment,” Asige explained during a press conference at Swahilipot Hub Foundation in Mombasa.

Standard feature

The bill also aims to make sign language a standard feature in public addresses, extending beyond television news to include schools, hospitals, courts, and other public spaces.

“Sign language should be present wherever leaders, like the president, make speeches or during national holidays. It should be included in court systems, hospitals, police stations, and more, to embrace and include our deaf community,” the senator stressed.

At the forum, attendees shared challenges faced by persons with disabilities in Mombasa, highlighting the lack of accessible buildings and the inadequate knowledge and use of sign language, which have denied many crucial opportunities.

Senator Asige, who lost her sight to glaucoma, became a senator in 2022, representing people with disabilities.

An award-winning singer and songwriter, Crystal found solace and purpose through her music before venturing into politics. She believes that educating PWDs will liberate them economically.

Encourage PWDs

“I am here because I was educated, and this should encourage PWDs. Through the bill, more opportunities will emerge,” she said.

Asige has sponsored four bills: the Startup Bill, the Persons with Disabilities Bill, the Learners with Disabilities Bill, and the Kenyan Sign Language Bill, all of which have passed the Senate and are currently in the National Assembly. The Learners with Disabilities Bill, advocates for an inclusive education system where learners with disabilities coexist with their peers in one institution, rather than in isolated schools.

“We should move towards inclusive learning so that all children learn together. The idea of having separate schools for the blind or the deaf is not okay. Public and private schools should reflect the diversity of our society,” noted Senator Asige.

The PWDs Bill seeks to repeal the current PWDs Act of 2003 and replace it with a more advanced document that incorporates new ideas and solutions for PWDs.

“This bill must repeal the old one and bring in better provisions, including tax exemptions for parents and caregivers of children with disabilities. These are some of the new additions not included in the current act,” she said.