The Fabric of My Faith

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him”. Hebrews 11:6 Faith is woven throughout the everyday fabric of my life, in the big and small circumstances, in the hard and perplexing uncertainties, and in the quiet moments when God is calling my name, drawing me near and asking me to follow wherever He leads. I will choose faith because this is what God desires. God wants us to have Faith. He wants us to Trust. He requires that we Wait. He wants us to Believe. He requires us to Wait patiently on Him. All of this works with our obedience in following God, and our obedience in following Him in what He has called us to do – which is His purpose in us. We will accomplish more through our faith than through anything else, such as works, abilities, talents, and degrees. Our faith is the outward demonstration of a heart that completely trusts God and believes He will do for us what we cannot do in our own strength. David could not kill Goliath in his own strength. That was God’s power in the slingshot and in the stone that hit Goliath. It was David’s faith and God’s power. Joshua and his army could not make the Jericho wall fall down with shouting and trumpets, but they demonstrated faith and obedience – and God in His power brought down the city wall. It takes faith to navigate our lives as each day comes with challenges that force us to choose to live by faith and trust in God, or the alternative, trust ourselves and the world around us. Some days rise up like giants before us. Do we believe that God will defeat the giants for us? It takes faith to believe He will and I want to make every effort to live out that kind of faith. I want to live a faith that pleases God. "If you act for self-gain then no good can come of it. If you act selflessly, then you act well for all and you must not be afraid." -- Rand Miller

why Persons with disabilities in Kenya risk being left out in county government plans AKA sababu za walemavu kubakia nyuma.

At the top of the new county governments’ ‘To Do’ list, as required by law, is strategic planning. The County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP), a provision of the County Governments Act, 2012, is, effectively, the devolved unit’s strategic plan. It ought to show well-defined goals and objectives, a costed implementation plan, framework for monitoring and evaluation, as well as clear reporting mechanisms. It is the CIDP, then, that informs the county’s annual budget. Unfortunately, there is a real danger that persons with disabilities needs will not be adequately factored in the CIDPs and subsequent annual budgets. Those who make public policy decisions in Kenya in the disability sector are afew and may lack relevant technical skills and even persons with disabilities in the public sector are not adequately involved in the processes thus demeaning “Nothing about us with us” The public service commission report 2014 showed that only less than 1 % are employees with disabilities yet its mandatory at list 5 % should be individuals with disabilities. ALIENATING GROUP We must do all we can to ensure that the needs of the persons with disabilities are adequately considered in the county plans. After all, they are the single-largest demographic majority hgroup in Kenya: 15 % of the Kenyan population are persons with disabilities according to world report 2011. To eliminate the possibility of alienating this potentially most productive group, decision makers and other stakeholders at the county level must take deliberate steps to ensure that the persons with disabilities are at the front and centre of development plans. Granted, persons with disabilities in Kenya face many challenges, some of which are, however, not within the mandate of counties. The National Persons with disabilities Policy (2006) plus the national disability action plan 2015 which is under review, identifies two struggles the persons with disabilities face that counties can resolve: Health challenges and limited access to economic opportunities. CIDPs ought to address these. The best way to ensure this is to have persons with disabilities on board. A good starting point would be to deliberately include disability -friendly information formats and channels in information campaigns targeting to educate communities about participation in the county development planning. Access t information is a right and government needs to invest in accessible formats like braille, audio formats etc Any county government interested in reaching to persons with disabilities need to ensure all the time accessible formats are availed. As we head into the second round of devolution in Kenya, county governments and other stakeholders must meaningfully engage the persons with disabilities for programmes and decision making to address their needs by ensuring that they participate in planning.

employment of persons with disabilities where we have come from AKA tulipotoka. archives

Inclusion of People with Disabilities in Kenya 1 Kenyan National Bureau of Statistics, http://www.cbs.go.ke/, accessed on 28 February 2018. Women and men with disabilities can and want to be productive members of society. In both developed and developing countries, promoting more inclusive societies and employment opportunities for people with disabilities requires improved access to basic education, vocational training relevant to labour market needs and jobs suited to their skills, interests and abilities, with adaptations as needed. Many societies are also recognizing the need to dismantle other barriers - making the physical environment more accessible, providing information in a variety of formats, and challenging attitudes and mistaken assumptions about people with disabilities. There is no recent data on the situation of people with disabilities in Kenya. Some numbers are available, although these do not give an accurate picture of the number of disabled people living in the country. Applying the WHO recommended 15 per cent to today’s Kenyan population of approximately 41 million1 would indicate that there may be some 6 million disabled people. Many disabled people in Kenya, as in most developing countries in the world, live in poverty, have limited opportunities for accessing education, health, suitable housing and employment opportunities. The Government of Kenya has adopted a number of laws and policies pertaining to people with disabilities, including their right to productive and decent work and basic services. They include: 2010 Constitution of Kenya, which was promulgated in 27th August explicitly prohibits discrimination on the grounds of health status and disability. 2 3 • The Persons with Disabilities Act, 2003, is a comprehensive law covering rights, rehabilitation and equal opportunities for people with disabilities. It created the National Council of Persons with Disabilities as a statutory organ to oversee the welfare of persons with disabilities. The Law also requires that both public and private sector employers reserve 5 per cent of jobs for disabled persons. It needs a whole repeal to reflect and be in line with the new constitution and the UNCRPD. • The National Security Act, (Chapter 258, Laws of Kenya), mentions invalidity benefits for worker incapacitated before the established retirement age. • National Social Security Fund Act, 1965 (No. 5 of 1997), amended 2001, contains a provision which states that physical and mental disabilities shall not be considered as leading to work incapacity. • The Workmen’s Compensation Act, (Chapter 236, Laws of Kenya), recognizes disability but only where it has been acquired during and in the course of work. • 2014 basic education act , crucial to the attainment of universal primary education, removes all levies that previously prevented children especially those from poor economic backgrounds from accessing education. The scheme has been extended to special education and schools for children with disabilities, through the provision of additional funding to meet the needs of children with disabilities in schools. • National Development Plan (2002- 2008), focused on strengthening vocational rehabilitation centres for people with mental and physical disabilities and affirmative action in areas of employment, vocational training and education. • Vision 2030, provides a long-term development framework and initiatives aimed at sustaining rapid economic growth and tackling poverty. The plan follows soon after the implementation of the Economic Recovery Strategy (ERS), 2003-2007. Under Vision 2030, Kenya hopes to become a globally competitive and prosperous nation with a high quality of life by 2030. Other legislation to promote opportunities for people with disabilities has been drafted. These include: --The labor act 2007 which aims to combat discrimination faced by various groups, including people with disabilities. The act also prohibits employers from paying employees differently for work of equal value. -- The Draft National Disability Policy, which operationalizes the Persons with Disabilities Act 2003 by providing guidelines for the implementation of the Act. --The 2014 Special Needs Education Policy, which provides a roadmap for the education of children with disabilities. --The Social Protection Policy. About 46 per cent of all Kenyans live below the poverty line while 19 per cent live in extreme poverty. This draft policy aims at cushioning the most vulnerable citizens against the ravages of poverty. The policy also identifies orphans and vulnerable children, persons with disabilities and older persons as the priority targets for social protection. Key ministries and agencies responsible for disability issues The Ministry of labor social security and children services is the focal point for disability issues in Kenya. Among its many services, the Ministry is responsible for 12 rural rehabilitation centres throughout the country and Nairobi’s Industrial Rehabilitation Centre, which trains persons with disabilities for jobs. The National Rehabilitation Committee of the Department of Social Services also provides for vocational rehabilitation services. It is decentralized into 49 District Rehabilitation Centres. Activities undertaken by the centres are part of the National Rehabilitation Programme, which was established to provide persons with disabilities with the opportunity to acquire employable skills. The National Council for Persons with Disabilities, the official arm of the government on disability issues, is under the Ministry of labor social security and children services. Education The Ministry of Education supports placement of children with disabilities mainstream schools. Other significant bodies: --The Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE), a government institution established in 1986, with the aim of meeting the educational needs of disabled children, youth and adults. --The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, established through an Act of parliament, monitors abuse of human rights in Kenya. Key international standards on disability and their status • International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention concerning Discrimination in Respect of Employment and Occupation, 1958, (No. 111). Status: ratified, May 2001. • ILO Convention Concerning Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons), 1983, (No. 159). Status: ratified, 27 March 1990. • United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006) and Optional Protocol. Status: ratified on 19 May 2008. Kenya works to implement the Action Plan established for the African Decade of Persons with Disabilities, extended to December 2019. Currently there is an action plan 2015 on accessibility and establishment of UNCRPD monitoring group in Kenya. 4 The role of the ILO The primary goal of the ILO today is to promote opportunities for everyone, including people with disabilities, to obtain decent and productive work, based on the principles of freedom, equity, security and human dignity. The ILO works to achieve its goals of decent work for all through promoting labour standards, advocacy, knowledge building and technical cooperation services and partnerships, both within the ILO and externally. The Kenya Decent Work Country programme establishes the framework for delivery of ILO action. In Kenya, a current ILO technical cooperation project on disability is “Promoting Decent Work for Persons with Disabilities through a Disability Inclusion Support Service” (INCLUDE). The project built capacity at regional and national levels to effectively support the full participation of women entrepreneurs with disabilities in entrepreneurship development activities conducted under the ILO’s Women’s Entrepreneurship Development and Gender Equality (WEDGE) programme. INCLUDE also involves advocacy and awareness-raising activities to promote decent work for persons with disabilities. This ended in 2005 The way forward Productive and decent work enables people with disabilities to realize their aspirations, improve their living conditions and participate more actively in society. Ensuring a disability perspective in all aspects of policy and labour legislation, effective implementation and enforcement of existing disability laws and policies and providing for equal employment opportunities and training are among the factors that contribute to the reduction of poverty and to the social and economic inclusion of people with disabilities in Kenya. Skills and Employability www.mugambipaul.com

Forced sterilisation in Japan AKA kulazimishwa kutozaa

     On 30th of  Jan, a woman (her alias name is  Yoko Sato)  in her 60s with intellectual difficulties brought her case to court to ask for an apology and compensation because she was  sterilised forcibly by the govenment when she was 15.  　       This is the first lawsuit in Japan for  the forced sterilisation without consent.   I believe it is a big step forward.     For  more than  twenty  years, some survivors including Junko IIzuka  (alias name)  who brought her human rights case to  the Japan Federetion of Bar of Associations in 2015) , have asked for an apology and compensation. However, the records  seem to have been  destroyed and not found in hospital nor in the  local governments.        It was too difficult for survivors to move to  the lawsuit without such records.   The Japanese government has been inactive in finding,keeping and disclosing the records of sterilisation.        Last year,a woman in her 60s (Yoko Sato) and her family (Michiko Sato)  contacted  Mr. Niisato, a lawyer who  supported  Ms. IIzuka  to bring  human rights case to the Japan Federation of Bar Associations.     Fortunately, some records were kept in Miyagi prefectual government which proved  Ms. Sato was sterilised under the Eugenic Law.   It is the first case in which records of survivors  who spoke up were discovered.       In these kinds of lawsuits, the documents for evidence were  owned and kept  by governments, which made it difficult for survivors to sue.      The Japanese government has been ignoring  the matter  even though  UN Human Rights Comittees have already issued recommendations for compensation  several times since 1998.     After Ms.Sato brought  her case to court, the media such as newspapers and internet news    began  to broadcast about forced sterlisation under the Eugenic Law.   Some documents discovered by journalists  show an active role by the Ministry of Health  in implementation of the Eugenic Law.    The government's attitude is slightly  changing now.  Some in the government  think  they cannot  ignore the matter any longer.     It is good but at the same time,  I am very afraid of how the compensation framework will be made.     I think involvement of survivors is critical when the compensation framework  is  made because the process of involvement is effective for recovery of survivors.But it is not certain.    To what extent must victims be covered?  Inmates of the institutions for Hansen disease  were asked to sign the consent of sterilisation when they got married. They agreed but they had no options.     The most important thing is we have to change the system so as not to happen again.   To do so, it is necessary to investigate deeply why and how the matter happened.         I would like to know how the compensation programmes are done in other   countries  which compensation programme has been made already and what is the best way.    If  there is anyone who has good knowledge  about the compensation practice for survivors, please let me know. Naoko Kawaguchi  The  followings are news articles on the matter.    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Va49ZEzneV Japan TImes   https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/01/30/national/crime-legal/woman-sues-government-japan-forced-sterilization-scrapped-eugenics-law/#.WnJyzojFKUk  BBC         http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42877227  BioEdge     https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/first-compensation-claim-for-compulsory-sterilisation-in-japan/12578  Followings are related Articles  ■Documents on sterilizations of people with disabilities found in Kanagawa YOKOHAMA -- Official documents recording the reasons and other backgrounds for a… (2017/11/18) https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20171118/p2a/00m/0na/020000c ■Kobe hospital under fire for publication submission lauding past forced sterilizations KOBE -- Hyogo Prefectural Kobe Children's Hospital is under fire from over 45 or… (2017/11/1) https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20171101/p2a/00m/0na/018000c ■Official docs support disabled woman's claim about 1972 forced sterilization SENDAI -- A woman with an intellectual disability is thought to have undergone f… (2017/7/27) https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20170727/p2a/00m/0na/016000c ■Lawyer group seeks gov't apology, redress for victims of former sterilization law The Japan Federation of Bar Associations disclosed a written statement on Feb. 2… (2017/2/23) https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20170223/p2a/00m/0na/009000c ■UN committee urges Japanese gov't to compensate forcibly sterilized disabled women The United Nations' Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women… (2016/3/14) https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20160314/p2a/00m/0na/017000c ■Disabled Japanese women headed to Geneva to testify on mistreatment before U.N. Committee Kumiko Fujiwara of Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, is one among many Japanese women with… (2016/2/5) https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20160205/p2a/00m/0na/015000c

Dream of a Kenyan child with a disability! AKA ndoto ya mwana mlemavu

Dear Friends and Family Caregivers, Making our own decisions about where and how we work, live, play, and access needed services is critical to improving our quality of life as adults—and teaching our children how to do this is an important part of our job as parents and educators. For children with disabilities, this skill is especially essential. People with disabilities are too often treated as passive recipients of what may be well intended but misguided and patronizing efforts to help them—efforts that can disempower self-determination,  cause dependence, and limit options. Building the capacity of children with disabilities to become independent decision makers—to the maximum degree possible—is a vital responsibility parents and educators have as we teach our children to move from riding in the passenger seat to making decisions about their own lives. Even for children who may never be fully independent, our goal must be to ensure that, to the greatest extent possible, the passions, priorities and preferences of the individual are at the center of our planning, teaching and service delivery. For students with disabilities, teaching self-advocacy ensures that students: * Are able to appropriately describe their abilities and needs, and the accommodations and assistance that support their learning * Are actively involved in setting realistic goals for their learning * Know their rights and how to use them effectively * Understand and honor the rights of others * Take responsibility for their own health (mental, physical, sexual) * Make and effectively communicate choices * Learn how to interact with those in authority-teachers, therapists, doctors, law enforcement, judges and others who may exercise some level of control over their choices and options * Know how to ask for help and fix mistakes One of the best places to start teaching children about self-advocacy is in IEP or children clubs meetings. Including them in meetings provides an opportunity to learn and practice important life skills. Even very young students can: * Understand  more about their disability and how it impacts learning * Hear about and contribute to discussions about how things are going * Participate in goal setting and team decisions * Learn how to communicate for themselves and make choices The IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education requirement that students be invited to their IEP meetings by the age of 16. Studies should be introduse so as to sho that the sooner students get involved in their own meetings, the faster they learn to advocate for themselves. Even when students do not speak, they can often indicate consent in other ways with the team's help to make their feelings known. Parents tell us that when the student attends the IEP, there is often a more collaborative feel to the meetings, because what is at stake—the future of a child is literally present during the process. If you feel your child is too young to participate in the entire meeting, or that some of the discussion (the results of a mental health assessment with sensitive information, for example) may be too difficult, you may choose to include them for part of the meeting only (for example, goal setting or discussions about services), or to get their input in other ways, such as a video, a written statement they dictate to a parent or teacher, Skype, or even a picture they draw or photo you take of them that helps the team see the "whole child."  Generally, information shared in a meeting about a student should be shared with the student in an appropriate way. If a child is very resistant or anxious about attending, don't force it—but do think about including a proposed IEP goal focused on helping the child learn these critical skills as part of their education program the following year. Try to get their input in video, audio or written form ahead of time. And always insist that the IEP be "strengths based" so that a child doesn't experience a meeting about their "deficits" only. These meetings should always include a celebration of the student's successes and strengths, and identify areas that the team, as a whole, needs to focus on in order to improve the educational outcome of the student. Focus the team on helping the student enter adulthood with a "toolkit" of essential skills and experiences they can use to build their own future. Parents sometimes tell us that they don't want their child to come to a meeting because they fear that hearing about the disability may make their child feel "bad" about themselves. But in our experience, the sooner a child learns that disability is part of the human experience – the sooner they can come to accept the disability as one part of who they are. Learning about disability history and pride allows a child (and an educator) to reimagine diversity as a strength. This helps students better advocate for the support, services, and opportunities that will help them achieve their dreams while proudly claiming all parts of their identity in addition to reminding them that they are not alone. Reminder: Get involved and become a leader! I hope this dream of mine will not go in to the thin air. one day Kenyans with disabilities will realize. udongo ubatilize ungali maji. for more read www.mugambipaul.com

Why transport for persons with disabilities in Kenya remains a mere dream .AKA uchukuzi ni ndoto Kenya.

Despite the policies, regulations and constitutional provisions protecting persons living with disabilities, we still remain among the marginalised lot in Kenya. The persons with disabilities in Kenya hardly access any specialised support services in urban and rural areas. Instead they depend in third parties for support. However, the helpers are mostly ignorant of their plight and are sometimes unavailable. In the major cities in Kenya such as Nairobi, Mombasa and Meru, we the disabled persons do not enjoy the right to access the public spaces as most of the facilities are yet to comply with the legislation. The Kenyan Constitution binds all construction works to have accessibility features e.g tactile marks for the Blind and deaf blind person, ramps, to easily access the facilities. Mostly we persons with different mobility needs often find it difficult to use the available transport systems both in the rural and urban areas in Kenya. This is because the systems have not been developed to suit our needs, and we often face discrimination when it comes to using matatus, a popular form of public transport in Kenya. There have been reported cases where persons living with disabilities have been mistreated by matatu touts, a practice which is widespread in the sector, especially in the cities. As such, there has been public outcry from persons living with disabilities over harassment by touts and other matatu stakeholders who infringe on their right to access and use of public facilities as stipulated in the law. This state of affairs has forced the majority of the persons with disabilities to be left behind in the social, economic and political participation in the country. Their productivity levels have been greatly hindered and this proves burdensome to the country’s economic progress in the long run. According to me having been a victim as I share on my website The white cane miles. www.mugambipaul.com There is intentional lack of commitment among stakeholders to ensure transport is accessible. I was literally shocked when the Governor of Nairobi wanted to remove the Motor cycle crew from town. Although his intention was noble but the lack of consulting individuals with disabilities like me who use the motor cycle for transport shows lack of participationn . The Blind persons like me we don’t use motor cycle for luxury neither do we enjoy using it. The truth of the matter its an expensive afair since I have to pay extra cost in order to reach to my destination safely and on time. The simple reason is due to the lack of execution of proper road systems which could have been established to make as independent road users. There are no pathways, there exists potholes, open seewers etc Many blind fellows and other mobility impaired persons we have injuries associated with road usage and in our bodies we possess marks which remind us of the harsh reality that our Kenyan roads are not accessible. Its prudent to say that even after 15 years of the Persons with Disabilities Act No.14 of 2003 nothing much has been achieved on the access to transport. Same applies to the existing road and construction legislations. The act provides for the realisation of the rights of persons living with disabilities and equal opportunities. On a personal level I would like to make an appeal that Its high time matatu touts stopped harassing persons with disability because anyone can be disabled any time,. The transport industry in Kenya needs to establish information booths where we can record harassment and crude behaviour by matatu touts who often abuse and insult most of the disabled people. Through this the transport industry will actually get reliable data and thus being able to address with implementation of policies of stopping abuse to my fellow persons with disabilities. the constitution is clear that all persons have the right to use the available transport systems in the country, therefore the public should be tolerant towards persons living with disabilities and assist them in every area. In most cases drivers and conductors of matatus refuse to stop to pick a person with a disability and instead just drive off past them or even just refuse to assist. When they see a white cane or a wheelchair most of the time they think we are beggars and they see our assistive devices as burden. They forget there vehicles are the once which are not accessible. They normally rash at high speeds and live us hanging there since they tell us they don’t have time for us. many a times we the blind fellows find it difficult to identify designated street crossing points, knowing when it was safe to cross and crossing within the allotted time where there are traffic lights. most of these traffic lights are not audible, don't vibrate nor brailled. one of my mobility impaired individual tellss me that he he has to wake up very early to catch up with the public service vehicles before other people as this is when the operators can afford time for him to board. He has to leave work very late after other people have gone and when the rush hour has gone down. Besides the difficulties experienced because of the rush hour the design of vehicles is another major problem. Narrow entrances, high stairs and lack of grabs pose major challenges to the physically disabled persons to board and disembark. Most of the time wheelchair users are either carried or have to crawl in order to board and disembark. The vehicles do not have enough space to stow wheelchairs and clutches and times their users are required to pay for the extra space they occupy. The deaf experience difficulty in communicating with the public service crew especially when explaining their destinations or even when asking to be given their fare balances. Where visual information such as destination signs on public service vehicles are absent, they experience difficulties identifying the right vehicle to board. Article. for many blind fellows its normal for a vehicle either to drop you past your destination, wrong station or before reaching! All vehicles in Kenya don't have audio announcements passing particular station nor they don't have audio signals in the vehicles. the article 54 of the Constitution of Kenya provides that a person with any disability is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect and to be addressed in a manner that is not demeaning. It furthers states that one is entitled to reasonable access to all places, public transport and information. This is what led me to compose a song entitled “heshima kwa fimbo yangu respect to my white cane” Which can be found on my website www.mugambipaul.com Later on I joined the national federation of the Blind UK and composed a song on road access. https://youtu.be/fyRzMEJNheA Even though the Kenyan government is yet to meet the obligation of mandate on representation of persons with disability with five per cent in public positions, the right to access to use of State facilities has not been met, leaving many disabled persons vulnerable in the society. The government still has the responsibility to take steps towards the full realisation of the rights of persons with disabilities as set out in the Persons with Disability Act 2003 and road regulations. The matatu sector is, however, yet to comply with the existing policies as established under Section 23 of Persons with Disability Act 2003 which imposes an obligation upon public service vehicle providers to adapt them to suit persons with disabilities. Stakeholders in the transport sector should thus develop policies and regulations that cut across the board, on whether a person is disabled or not. You can imagine the long wait for justice for persons with disabilities while non disabled persons enjoy the right to transport. According to the Kenyan laws, the state should promote and protect human rights. Therefore, the State and non-state actors including the society should start looking after persons living with disabilities, ensuring that their rights are promoted and protected as provided for in the law. The National Council for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) which is a State institution formed under Persons with Disability Act 2003 under the Ministry of Labour Social Security and Services, is also mandated to promote the rights of persons with disabilities in Kenya and mainstream disability issues into all aspects of national development. Its high time NCPWD becomes a regulator than a service provider as earlier stated in this blog.

Why Kenya has not been able to make major break through on employment of persons with disabilities! Jicho la tatu

One in ffifteen Kenyan lives with disability. This represents a vast pool of talent, which employers can tap into to enhance workplace diversity and overcome labour shortages. According to WHO 15 % of the population are persons with disabilities. And according to available KBS 1.4 million i.e 4.6 of the population are persons with disabilities. This has been disputed by various lobby groups in Kenya. what many Kenyans don't know is that the reality is that The likelihood of living with disability increases with age. After the establishment of the national council for persons with disabilities It became apparent that all challenges that persons with disabilities would be solved immediately. Of which this is not the truth. The national council of persons with disabilities is supposed to be a catalyst of ensuring that government and private sector adhere to the set disability standards. Has the NCPWD lived to its mandate that’s a debate for another day. Actually no policy guidelines have been developed to have a clear road map on how persons with disabilities can get the employment opportunities. Due to lack of technical and human capital at the NCPWD on this employment challenge. There are not well established service providers who could support a vital role in matching people with disability to jobs. JobAccess service providers can compliment with resources, expertise And also help people with disability find and keep jobs, get promoted to better jobs, upgrade or expand their workplace skills, and more. With the current status persons with disabilities do not have a say on what service they want. Persons with disabilities should be provided a platform where we can make more choices and have a say in job access. With my clear credentials and evidently being a victim of the system I know how employers have and are continueing to treat persons with disabilities. You can log on www.mugambipaul.com for more explicit experiences. What the NCPWD can do is conduct community engagement on job access.develop a strategic plan for the next 5 years which will address the employment gaps among persons with disabilities. They can also provide a grant application to job access service providers in different counties. This will help expand the realization of areas which persons with disabilities would be employed Its high time NCPWD stop being a service provider but a enabler of service providers so that persons with disabilities can be able to access different service. NCPWD should serve as a monitoring and evaluation agency of the governmen. as a professional in this area of disability and public policy I would say and proclaim the employers can benefit from having persons with disabilities on board. afew facts include: • Global research has found that when employee health and wellness is managed well the percentage of engaged employees increases from 7% to 55%. • People with disability are three times as likely to avoid an organisation and twice as likely to dissuade others because of an organisation's negative diversity reputation. with this not withstanding I note the importance of medium of communication to the public. of which Kenyan state organs are yet to embrace. for instance Disability discrimination accounts for the highest volume of complaints across the board to the Kenyan social media sites and no apparent Kenyan state organ is recording the available data of incidences. if the Data collected on the complains it can well inform policy guidelines and aid towards understanding what persons with disabilities deserve .maxmumly The day when this burden will be removed is the actual day when delivery of the potentials and dreams of many persons with disabilities will be realized. Actually, NCPWD can easily achieve the sustainable development goals and 2030 vision targets with this kind of approach I look forward to more fellow persons with disability securing meaningful and lasting employment. If these changes can be adapted they can complement the stronger support available to many people with disability through the Kenyan government disability mainstreaming agenda in its ranks. This is a reflection the Government’s ambition that people with disability are supported to achieve greater social and economic participation.