Kirinyaga County governor Ann Waiguru has exempted persons with disabilities from paying for business permits in a bid to support their business ventures.
According to Waiguru, so far more than 300 Persons with disabilities have benefited from the waiver.
In a speech read on her behalf by Deputy Governor David Githanda during Valentine’s Day celebration with persons with disabilities at Kamiigua Polytechnic grounds, Waiguru said her administration is committed to closing the disparities that exist between persons with disabilities and the general community.
The governor further revealed that a one-stop service desk, a replica of Huduma Center, had been established at the county government level, to ensure that persons with disabilities are efficiently and effectively served.
Governor Waiguru called on persons with disabilities in the county to enroll with the new National Council for Persons with Disabilities registration system to fully benefit from the government’s programmes.
Kirinyaga County government, through the Wezesha Kirinyaga Programme, has supported over 20 groups of vulnerable and those with disabilities into groups that have been funded to undertake income-generating projects.
She is said to support PWDs by providing more than 1,500 people with assistive devices and items such as wheelchairs, clutches, white canes, mosquito nets and diapers.
The governor said the county government has commenced the process of brailing of strategic documents and has already facilitated about 21 officers to acquire basic sign language skills to improve access to information.
BY NKATHA WAINAINA