Message from the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Development of the Republic of Kenya

On Thursday 18th February 2010 was inaugurated the African Rehabilitation Institute, Eastern African Regional Office. This ceremony is significant not only for the Government and people of Kenya but for the region. The regional office will cover twelve (12) countries in the Eastern African region, namely Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Sudan, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Comoros, Somalia and Seychelles.

The Institute will be working closely with the Governments, Disabled Persons Organizations, Non-Governmental Organizations and United Nations Specialized Agencies in the region. The purpose of this partnership is to develop a concept of self reliance in various fields of disability prevention, medical rehabilitation,special education and equalization of employment opportunities for people with disabilities, giving priority in the field of training professional personnel qualified to plan, direct and evaluate programmes in these specialized fields. The vision of the Institute is the attainment of full participation and involvement of Persons with Disabilities in Africa in the development processes of their respective countries.

This vision resonates well with that of my Ministry which is “...A society where women, men and children enjoy equal rights, opportunities, and a high quality of life”. Likewise the Kenya Vision 2030 is based on the principle that Kenya as a society cannot develop if it does not address existing inequalities in terms of income, health and other living conditions as it  affects different groups, for example persons with disabilities, older persons, children and women. To that

extent the Kenya Vision 2030 includes equity as a recurrent principle in economic, social and political programmes. As the country that hosted the then Organization of African Unity’s Assembly of Heads of State and Governments in 1981, where the approval to establish the African Rehabilitation Institute was arrived at, we feel honoured today to
launch its East African Regional Office. As a region, we can confidently say that we have managed to take progressive steps towards incorporating disability issues and concerns into national institutions and programmes. In Kenya we enacted the

National Disability Act in 2003. The main objective of the Act is to provide for the rights of persons with disabilities, rehabilitation of persons with disabilities, equalization of opportunities and establishment of a National Council for  Persons with Disabilities. In order to further implement the provisions of the Act, in January this year I approved the

Gazettement of the following regulations:

1. the Persons with Disabilities (Access to Employment, Services and Facilities) Regulations, 2009
2. the Persons with Disabilities (Cost Care, Support and Maintenance) Regulations, 2009; and
3. the Persons with Disabilities (Registration) Regulations, 2009. The Public Service Reform and Results Based Management

(RBM) introduced in 2004 have resulted in the mainstreaming of disability in the public sector. The different tools used for RBM, such as strategic plans and annual performance plans from different organizations, are currently being analyzed using a disability lens by my Ministry through the National Council for Persons with Disabilities. Mainstreaming equals dignity and self-worth for Persons with Disabilities. It must therefore be part of all development activities.

These first steps towards mainstreaming are already paying dividends. A recent study found that 8% of people with disabilities faced discriminatory attitudes from public authorities which are much lower than anecdotal reports from other countries.
According to a survey conducted by the National Coordinating Agency for Population and Development (NCAPD) in collaboration with Kenya National Bureau of Statistics in 2007, the overall disability rate in Kenya was found to be 4.6% which translates to 1.7 million people living with disability. Of this, the largest proportion was found to be physical impairment (554,440)  followed by visual impairment (488,136).

Surveys have shown that people face exclusion just because of their disability. This may have several manifestations:

• Children with disabilities may not go to school.
• Women with disabilities can face a double burden of discrimination.
• People with disabilities may not have access to information on HIV/AIDS.
• There may be a general lack of access through-out society.

My Ministry has made deliberate efforts to mitigate against the challenges faced by Persons with Disabilities by employing innovative development approaches. For instance, as a means to promote inclusive development through increased participation, access and representation by disabled persons, as well as a way to increase their incomes we launched the National Disability Fund this Financial Year. The Fund is a Social Protection intervention that aims at not only improving the welfare of persons with disabilities but also increasing their status and bargaining power at household level.

Kenya is party to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities having signed the Convention on 30th March, 2007 and ratified it on 19th May 2008; just two weeks after the Convention came into force on 3rd May,2008. The language of the Convention is totally different from much of the previous legislation on disability. The word ‘special’ is never used on the document and the focus is on the right to full participation in all aspects of society. These are but a few of the policies and programmes in place to ensure that persons with disabilities are not excluded from the country’s development agenda. We acknowledge that other countries in the region have done a lot to support disability issues and the results can be felt.

There is therefore need to strengthen collaboration and share experiences. We need to work and move together in an effort to develop a unified approach to issues of disability; creating facilities, developing rehabilitation centres, training and research programmes, promoting exchange of information and organizing special products in the field of rehabilitation and  disability prevention.

All this will now be possible with the establishment of the African Rehabilitation Institute, Eastern African Regional Office.