The committee has published its response
The committee has responded to this consultation, question by question.
The Persons with Disabilities Act, 2025 repeals the Persons with Disabilities Act No. 14 of 2003, and aligns with Article 54 of the Constitution.
Departmental Committee on Social Protection
National Assembly
Most people answered from their own lives, and two things changed their answers. People with a disability told us to start with jobs and accessible transport; everyone else said free school and money for counties. And where you live changed whether you trust your county to provide disability services: people in towns said yes, people in rural areas said no. We are changing one part of this Act.
Question 1 of 2 · Obligations of the National Assembly.
Back to top350 of 401 people answered · Single select
This clause gives the national government seventeen duties towards people with disabilities. They cover schools, jobs in the public service, transport, money for programmes, and buying from disabled-owned businesses. All of them are in the Act. This question asks which ones should come first, because money and attention are limited.
The national government shall— (a) develop policies on the protection and promotion of the rights of persons with disability; (b)undertake investigations, surveys and research into the causes and nature of disabilities and development of new assistive devices; (c)put in place measures for the prevention of disabilities and rehabilitation of persons with disability; (d) provide facilities and infrastructure for the training of professionals in the rehabilitation and habilitation of persons with disability; (e)promote the inclusion and integration of persons with disability in schools; (f)promote the inclusion and integration of persons with disability in the public service and put in place measures to ensure that at least five per centum of the employment positions are filled by persons with disability; (g)prescribe minimum standards and guidelines to be adhered to by public transport vehicles, communication service companies infrastructure developers to facilitate reasonable access by persons with disability; (h) adopt affirmative action measures in procurement of national government goods and services by implementing preferential procurement for persons or entities managed by persons with disability; (i)ensure access to free and compulsory basic education and other social amenities to every child with a disability; (j) allocate adequate resources to programmes specifically targeting persons with disabilities; (k)allocate adequate resources for training on persons with disability; (l)ensure equity in the distribution of resources to all categories of disabilities; (m)promote affirmative action to ensure that learners with disabilities are enrolled in all levels of learning institutions; (n) provide capacity building, funding and technical assistance to the county governments on all matters relating to persons with disability; (o) consult county governments on any matter relating to persons with disabilities that affect the functions and powers of county governments; (p)develop programmes for care givers of persons with disabilities on specialized counselling and economic development; and (q) ensure inclusion of persons with disability in all mainstream programs and interventions.
What we heard
People picked one. Jobs in the public service came first, then free school for every child, then money for county programmes. But the order changed with who answered. People with a disability picked jobs first and accessible transport second. Everyone else picked free school first and money for county programmes second. Nobody is wrong. People answered from their own lives.
Themes raised
Committee recommendation
No change to this part of the Act. It already covers all of these. But we will use this answer when we decide what to fund first: jobs and accessible transport come before the things that were chosen less often.
Question 2 of 2 · Obligations of County Governments
Back to top355 of 401 people answered · Support / Don't support
This clause gives county governments their own duties. Each county must run disability programmes and pay for them, fill at least five in every hundred county jobs with people with disabilities, and keep a record of who lives there. This question asks whether the county is the right level of government to do that work.
Every county government shall— (a)implement national policies for the protection and promotion of the rights of persons with disability; (b)allocate adequate resources to programmes specifically targeting persons with disability; (c)ensure access to free and compulsory pre-primary education and other social amenities to every child with disability; (d)coordinate and disseminate information on government sponsored and non-government sponsored programmes targeting persons with disability within the respective counties; (e)promote the inclusion of persons with disability in the county public service by putting in place measures to ensure that at least five per centum of the employment positions are filled by persons with disability; (f) adopt affirmative action in procurement of county government goods and services by implementing preferential procurement for individuals or entities established or managed by persons with disability; and (g)ensure inclusion of persons with disability in all mainstream programs and interventions. (2)In ensuring that a county government meets its obligations under subsection (1), the county executive committee member responsible for matters relating to persons with disability in each county shall— (a)advise the respective county governor on the appropriate measures and interventions to be put in place for the protection of persons with disability in the county; (b)develop mechanisms for the identification of persons with disability residing in the county; (c)liaise with the Council to maintain a database of persons with disability residing within the respective county containing the following information regarding disability— the persons (i)the name, age and place of residence of the person; (ii)the type of disability of the person; (iii) the education level of the person; (iv)the health needs of the person; (v) the employment status of the person; (vi)%!any interventions made in relation to the person; and (vii)any other information that the county executive committee member may consider necessary; (d)monitor and evaluate the progress by the county in ensuring the realisation of the rights of persons with disabilities under Article 54 (1) of the Constitution; (e)formulate and implement programmes aimed at promoting the socio-economic development, including participation in cultural life, recreation and sports, by persons with disability in the county; (f) coordinate the implementation of programmes developed by the Council and the Authority relating to persons with disability in the county; and (g)prepare and publish reports containing statistical or other information relating to programmes and effect of the programmes carried out by the county in relation to persons with disability.
What we heard
Where people live changed this answer, and nothing else did. In towns, 46 in every 100 supported it. In rural areas, only 14 did. People in towns said the county is closer to them: one bus ride, not a whole day. People in rural areas said their county cannot pay for it, and that help stops at the county line. An assessment from one county is not accepted in the next one.
Themes raised
Committee recommendation
We are changing this part. Counties keep the job, but the money must come with it, as a share of the budget they cannot spend on anything else. We will also set a national minimum that every county must reach, so your help does not change when you cross a county line.
The committee is examining the bill and gathering the public's views before it reports to Parliament.
Bill in the National Assembly
Bill in the Senate
Becoming law
Review of the law