Kisii gubernatorial aspirant, Simba Arati has pledged to establish a special commission that will develop proposals to empower persons with disabilities.
Arati, who is vying for the seat on an Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) ticket, noted that PWDs in the region lack the necessary support in terms of equipment or training that can help propel them to enjoy better livelihoods.
“Once elected, we will engage PWDs and sign a memorandum of understanding that will detail how to empower these people. We do not want a county where people are discriminated against simply because of their status or ability or inability,” he said.
The gubernatorial aspirant pointed out that he has consistently supported PWDs through donations of disability equipment and construction of houses adding that he will allocate additional slots for employment of the disabled within the county.
His remarks were conveyed by ODM senatorial aspirant, Richard Onyonka during a consultative forum held for persons with disabilities in Kisii County on Thursday.
On his part, Onyonka said everyone is responsible for how they treat fellow human beings, especially the disabled.
He urged primary schools to introduce sign language in the curriculum so that learners can be able to communicate with their peers who are deaf.
“I think we should be able to train our children on sign language during their primary school years. I believe that is something we can do,” said the senatorial aspirant.
According to the 2019 Census report by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, Kisii County has 36,355 people living with disabilities.
