A group of persons with disabilities staged protests in Eldoret demanding the release of Sh15 million allocated to them by the Uasin Gishu government.
The group has petitioned Governor Jonathan Bii to intervene and ensure the release of the funds, which were approved in the previous financial year for various activities and programmes aimed at improving their livelihoods.
The protesters were led by nominated MCA Regina Chumba, who said the money had been approved by the county assembly and questioned why it had taken so long to reach the targeted groups.
“As an MCA, I played my role to push for approval of the funding, and it is now upon the executive to ensure we get what is rightfully ours. It is unfortunate we have to suffer protesting on the streets so that we get our rights,” she said.
Chumba said the governor had previously pledged to have the money released to PWDs, but more than a year had passed without action from the county administration.
Another representative, Fredrick Kipchumba, said they had held more than five meetings with county officials to follow up on the release of the Sh15 million, but without success.
“The county officials keep taking us in circles instead of simply releasing the money, as is the case for other programmes or projects,” he said.
Pastor Gordon Juma, also a representative of PWDs, said the county was denying them employment opportunities despite many being qualified to serve in various fields.
“The county must be responsible and give us jobs because many of us are qualified in various fields, but we are denied a chance to serve,” he said.
Abraham Tarus, a representative from Kapseret, said the county should release the funds to enable PWDs to access bursaries and other support programmes.
Some of the protesters waved a recent issue of the Star, whose headline indicated the national government had spent Sh7.9 billion on programmes aimed at uplifting PWDs.
The protesters said they were yet to access much-needed support to enable them to obtain medical care, education and other benefits.
Another spokesperson, Collins Kiprotich, said the funding was a right and not a favour, adding that they were also pushing to benefit from employment opportunities and procurement contracts as provided for by law.
“This matter is not political at all. We are here to fight for our rights and we are asking the governor to ensure we are not subjected to such suffering where we have to protest on the streets in order to get our rights,” he said.
The protesters marched to the county headquarters but were not addressed by any official. They vowed to return to seek an audience with Governor Bii over the issue.
Uasin Gishu county secretary Phillip Melly said the issues raised by the group would be addressed by the county administration.
