Kewopa fight for Rights of Persons With Disabilities.
Kenya Women Parliamentary Association (KEWOPA) has tasked the parliament to prioritize the wellbeing of women and girls living with disabilities.
In partnership with Women Challenged to Challenge (WCC), KEWOPA cited that it is a collective responsibility of all stakeholders to ensure that women and girls living with disabilities are the focal point of development.
Chaired by the outgoing Principal Secretary Sports and Heritage Josephata Mukoba, the association stated that women and girls with disability face unique challenges as opposed to their male counterparts.
In addition, she said that these women and girls are at a higher risk of Gender Based Violence. She posed a question on how a woman who is physically disabled or blind can escape from their aggressor.
Mukoba further cited a lack of sexual reproductive utilities among the women and girls with disabilities adding that most healthcare service providers are insensitive towards expectant women.
She said that women with disabilities are like any other women and they deserve that extra care and attention to develop like other women.
The World Health Organization ranks women and girls with disabilities as the poorest. Their situation gets worse during drought and recession.
According to Mukoba, many traditional societies adorn women social roles of motherhood and homemaking. However, women living with disabilities experience more discrimination because of the fewer opportunities to fulfill those ideals.
She added that when such women and girls lose their parents, they are left in destitute situations.
The legislators feel that the government ought to increase the sh200 million of its sh3 trillion set aside from the government.
Member of parliament Ranger constituency Lilian Gogo urged the current government to allocate more funds in the budget for PWDs. She added that PWDs in the villages are unregistered and face many obstacles in accessing opportunities. She also mentioned that swindlers sell disability certificates to them and warned them to stop.
Women with disabilities demanded that facilities and infrastructure including buses and roads be constructed while considering PWDs.
Dagoretti North MP Beatrice Elachi promised that she will collaborate with WCC to ensure that children living with disabilities are integrated into any school they attend and ensure job placement.
BY CHRISTINE OMONDI.
