By Sefu Sabile, DevReporter, Trans Nzoia County
Antony Wanjala, a member and beneficiary of the Trans Nzoia County People With Disabilities (PWDs) community group started his shoe repairing business after receiving support from the group.
The Trans Nzoia PWDs community runs a string of initiatives at Laini Moja Kitale, Endebess road, including a public toilet, shops and an M-pesa shop, where a number of its members work to better their lives, Wanjala says, refuting claims that their members are begging in the streets.
According to the community chairperson Mr Opis Ojiambo, those begging in the streets are from the neighbouring Uasin Gishu County.
Disability and political leadership
Unlike in the previous years, the PWDs community has a number of its members presenting themselves for elective politics in the August 2022 general election. For example, Tuwan ward in Saboti constituency has attracted two members of the group, namely, George Barasa and Antony Wanjala.
Wanjala, a father of two, will be running on a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party ticket. He says that he wants to ensure PWDs are well represented in politics.
“I will be going for Tuwan ward Member of County Assembly seat. I want to represent my people, by articulating pertinent issues affecting our community so as to create awareness and secure requisite support. We want equal representation,” Wanjala said.
Community Sensitisation
The PWDs community group has initiated a grassroots search team to find other PWDs who are denied the right to education, which makes them to end up working as casual labourers and hidden from away society.
The PWDs community group is also sensitising parents with disabled children, through workshops and other community groups, as well as through media, to create awareness for the purposes of reaching out to them more effectively.
“We are doing sensitisation of parents across the county to inform them of the challenges faced by PWDs. We have placed PWDs in support groups where they encourage each other. We have been going to radio stations to talk about our people with the hope of reaching more parents so that they can come out,” Mr Ojiambo explained.
“It is so sad that some parents have taken their children as casual labourers because of their condition. We are going to take legal action as a team against parents subjecting their children to such condition,” Wanjala added.
Governance and Inclusivity
With political party primaries that took place in April 2022 with the general elections coming up in August, Mr Ojiambo hopes the parties will always practice fairness and provide a friendly environment for PWDs to compete in all election processes. Also, the County Commissioner should ensure leaders do not speak negatively against the candidates’ physical abilities and security should be provided to the members, he further asserted.
Furthermore, Mr Ojiambo asked members of the public to give opportunity to the PWDs vying for leadership by voting for them and not judging them on the basis of their physical inabilities.
PWDs are positive that the coming general election in August will herald a new dawn, with a good number of them being elected and others nominated to represent this minority group.
