The government will make more than 33,000 services already digitised on eCitizen fully accessible online for persons with disabilities.

ICT Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo made the revelation during the official opening of the sixth Inclusive Africa Conference ongoing in Nairobi.

“My ministry will partner with innovators, leading global technology companies and organisations representing persons with disabilities to drive forward Kenya’s digital accessibility agenda,” Kabogo said.

Central to this effort, according to him, is the implementation of the accessibility standard for digital products, which is already transforming how organisations design and deliver digital services.

“Digital accessibility is not a luxury; it is a right and an essential pillar of our national development. That is why we are determined to equip at least 20 million Kenyans with digital literacy skills by 2027, including individuals who are blind, deaf, or living with mobility, cognitive, or learning disabilities,” he added.

Speaking at the same event, Irene Mbari-Kirika, Executive Director of inABLE, said that apart from making the services accessible, there is also a need to integrate accessibility from the start, and always budget for it.

According to her, digital accessibility should be embedded into every stage of innovation because failure to do so risks locking millions of people, especially those with disabilities, out of the digital economy.

“Africa is mobile-first. With smartphone penetration expected to hit 81 per cent by 2030 and 70 per cent of our population being young people, we must ask: Are our digital platforms truly accessible?” she posed.

Her remarks came just weeks after Kenya enacted the Persons with Disabilities Act, 2025, a landmark law that, alongside the newly launched Kenya Accessibility Standard for Digital Products, sets a legal and technical benchmark for inclusive digital development across the continent.

“Accessibility is not a one-time fix, it’s a core design principle. Design teams must include persons with disabilities, not just treat them as users,” she adds.

Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura, who was also attending the event, affirmed that to further promote inclusion, his office will soon launch an inclusive communications program to make government communications fully accessible and responsive to the needs of persons with disabilities.

The conference, held under the theme of Scaling Digital Accessibility through Innovation & Entrepreneurship, drew participation from top government officials and leading private sector players like Microsoft, Google, Uber, Meta, and Salesforce.