Nairobi: The Association for the Physically Disabled of Kenya (APDK) is conducting outreach programs to enhance the registration of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) from hard-to-reach areas.
According to Kenya News Agency, the three-year project, dubbed Jumuisha, aims to help over 25,000 persons with disabilities in rural areas of four counties obtain disability certificates and benefit from government and other empowerment programs. APDK is piloting the project in Kakamega, Nakuru, Kilifi, and Isiolo counties in partnership with the National Council for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) and the Christian Blind Mission (CBM).
The outreach program entails a one-stop model where PWDs are assessed, registered, and issued with disability certificates generated from e-citizen within a few hours under one roof in the villages. Typically, a person would go to the medical facility for a disability assessment and wait for a week or two for the assessment report to be signed. Once signed, the person collects and proceeds for e-citizen registration, which would take another 48 hours to obtain the certificate.
Additionally, the NGO has supported NCPWD in 33 other counties countrywide with devices and equipment to enable them to scale up the registration of PWDs. Speaking to KNA at Mumbetsa County Polytechnic, where the outreach was held, the program officer of APDK, Elvis Kale, noted that disability certificates are crucial documents that identify PWDs, but the majority from rural areas struggle to get them.
During an outreach conducted in Likuyani in March this year, 300 PWDs were registered and issued with disability certificates in just one day. Victor Otieno from Christian Blind Mission (CBM) stated that the disability assessment and registration would enable partners to provide necessary interventions for PWDs based on data.
The Kakamega County Coordinator of the National Council for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD), Priscah Akoth, said registration of People with Disabilities is very important for the government to plan for their needs. The Kakamega County Rehab coordinator and focal person for disability mainstreaming, Faith Owuor, called upon more partners to join hands to be able to scale up the outreach activities to more areas of the county.