Nairobi hosts first regional disability summit in Africa

September 5, 2024. Nairobi, Kenya.

The Secretary to Cabinet, Mrs. Mercy Wanjau, today graced the Regional Disability Summit organised by the African Disability Forum (ADF) in Nairobi. The summit took place alongside the inaugural regional conference themed, “Persons with Disabilities in a Post-Pandemic World.”

The event highlighted the challenges and priorities of persons with disabilities from the African region, ahead of the Summit in April 2025 in Berlin. Diverse groups of persons from 40 African countries participated in the conference.

On the Kenyan front, according to the 2019 Census, 2.2 % of Kenyans, representing about 900,000 people live with some form of disability, thus making disability inclusion a prerequisite in achieving Vision 2030 and the SDGs.

In this regard, the Government is leveraging in technology to enhance digital inclusion. By way of example, in 2023, the e- Citizen Implementation Committee commissioned an accessibility audit of the eCitizen platform. Since the audit, key improvements have been implemented to address challenges people with disability face when accessing Government digital platforms. It was therefore heartwarming to experience a live demonstration of accessibility features embedded on the platform.

Steadily, we are making progress in ensuring all Kenyans, including those with disabilities, can access these vital government services. Progress like this has been made possible through collaborations with partners such as the British High Commission in Kenya, via the Digital Access Programme (DAP).