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Only one out of 39 public institutions have been able to duly meet the constitutional provision of employing five per cent of Persons With Disabilities (PWDs), report shows.

Report of the National Assembly Committee on Cohesion and Equal Opportunity chaired by Mandera West MP Yussuf Haji shows the average percentage of PWD presentation in the 39 institutions stands at 2.1 per cent.

 “The average representation in each of the institutions sampled stands at 2.1 per cent underscoring the importance of further efforts to enhance inclusion and participation of PWDs across a broader spectrum of institutions and sectors,” the report.

Report notes that only Lake Victoria Water Works Development Agency  has met the five per cent minimum threshold while the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner  and Kenya Shipping Line (KNSL) reported zero representation.

LVSWWD has an establishment of 69 officers out of which four are Person with Disabilities, KNSL has a staff establishment of 19 while ODPC has 45 employees.

 To justify their low representations, the institutions told the committee that most PwDs do not apply for the opportunities hence the current gap.

“Additionally, the institutions that appeared before the committee submitted that they do not receive applications from Persons with Disabilities, hence their low representation,” report noted.

Article 54 (2) of the Constitution requires that at least five per cent of members of the public in elective and appointive bodies are persons with disabilities.

The report which was tabled in the National Assembly on Wednesday also raises concerns that some of the institutions were found to be lacking comprehensive disability mainstreaming policies revealing a need for further emphasis on staff training and awareness campaigns focused on issues related to disabilities.

Current gap

Committee further noted that although the country has made efforts to enact policies and legislations to promote PWDs rights and representation, there are still gaps in implementation and creation of specific mechanisms to ensure their representation in public institutions.

To deal with the current challenges facing the hiring of PWDS, the committee recommended that all public institutions within the next three months review their Human Resources Policies to enhance representation of PWDs by ring fencing jobs for priority employment and promotion, to meet the requirement of article 54 (2) of the Constitution.