A section of learners With Disabilities in Narok County has been awarded Ksh. 579,280 bursaries by the government through the National Council of Persons with Disability (NCPWD).
Narok County Commissioner Isaac Masinde while speaking to Kenya News Agency (KNA) confirmed that 16 students with physical disabilities in different levels of education had benefited from the full sponsorship offered by the government to aid their education.
According to Maside Narok NCPWD the selected group comprises persons with severe disabilities who will benefit from the program.
“The beneficiaries were selected from the eight sub-counties in the county and the cheques will be sent directly to their learning institutions,” he said.
The county commissioner stated that the program aims at ensuring that children with disabilities enjoy equal educational chances as the rest.
He called upon the beneficiaries to work hard in school to become professionals as all their needs had been catered for by the government.
Masinde called upon parents to stop hiding their children with disabilities noting that they are hindering them from exercising their potential.
The commissioner now wants chiefs and village elders to help sensitize the community on disability inclusion and encourage PWDs to register with the NCPWD to get government support.
“It is the right for that child, with/without a disability, to live a decent life. The government has various programmes to help such children and it is a criminal for any parent to hide a child with a disability,” he continued.
Narok County NCPWD coordinator Julius Ntayia reiterated that the government was committed to ensuring all school-going children are maintained in school regardless of their condition.
“No child should be denied education because of his or her condition. That is why the government is keen on giving bursaries to the persons with physical disabilities so that they too can remain in school and get formal education like any other learners,” added Ntayia.