BY HELLEN LUNALO
The National Council of Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD Kenya) on Tuesday hosted a delegation from the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities from the Federal Republic of Nigeria who are on a three-day benchmarking visit to Kenya.
NCPWD Kenya Chairperson Elizabeth Chesang noted that the visit by their Nigerian counterparts provided a mutually beneficial situation for both institutions as they had been presented with the opportunity to learn from each other on how to better serve their clients.
“Since pre-independence, the disability movement in Kenya has made crucial strides, making it a benchmark among other nations on matters of disability and inclusion. From the enactment of the Persons with Disabilities Act 2003 to the promulgation of the 2010 constitution which furthered the rights of people with disabilities in Kenya, Kenya continues to power above its weight on the global scene when it comes to championing the rights of persons with disabilities in word and deed. I believe that this is evident through the various programs and services ascribed to persons with disabilities by law,” she said.
Executive Director NCPWD Kenya Harun Hassan also stated that the council had major plans to improve the lives of people with disabilities, improvements that were already being championed by the government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) on a hundred percent universal health coverage, educational assistance and economic empowerment.
Speaking on behalf of NCPWD Nigeria, Executive Director James Lalu said they were happy with the reception accorded to them and stated that the benchmarking mission was deliberate as his team was ready to learn how to empower the PWDs back home.
“Both our institutions agree that the inclusion of PWDs in any society is crucial for their well-being. In a bid to produce leaders who understand and grasp the importance of an inclusive society, that observes the rights and privileges of PWDs, we deemed it fit to visit our counterparts in East Africa to study their policies and strategies in order to create awareness on how to recreate the same conditions for our people back home, “he said.
The executive stated that most of the negative perceptions about his members came from the fact that they were not understood or provided with opportunities to contribute their quota to national development.
He said the two countries were now in a mutually binding relationship adding that NCPWD Kenya would also visit their headquarters in Abuja Nigeria to benchmark their achievements in the future.