The National Assembly Committee on National Cohesion and Equal Opportunity has expressed concern over the low number of persons with disabilities (PWDs) employed in State agencies.
Committee Chairperson Yussuf Adan Haji who is also the Member of Parliament, Mandera North led members in raising the alarm during a meeting with top officials from four State corporations to review their workforce diversity.
Appearing before the Committee were Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) Director General Jackson Magondu, Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) Acting Director General Luka Kimeli, and Geothermal Development Company (GDC) Managing Director Paul Ngugi.
During the separate sessions, it emerged that none of the agencies had met the constitutional requirement of reserving at least 5 pc of jobs for PWDs.
KeNHA, according to documents submitted to the Committee recorded the highest inclusion rate, with 11 PWDs out of 474 employees a 2.3 pc rate, followed by GDC with 20 out of 904 at 2 pc, and KeRRA with 9 out of 690 which is 1.3 pc.
“It is very sad that PWDs are still excluded from employment in key State agencies despite the Constitution stipulating that 5 pc of positions be set aside for them,” Hon. Haji said.
He added: “State bodies should lead by example and meet at least the minimum threshold. The Committee will not take it kindly if the marginalisation continues.”
Committee members pressed the officials to explain the challenges hindering compliance with the inclusion requirement.
The agencies cited a low number of applicants from underrepresented groups, inadequate qualifications among candidates, and limited recent recruitment, with many staff seconded from parent ministries.
The officials assured the Committee that they had policies to encourage PWDs to apply for jobs and were working towards meeting the constitutional target.
They proposed that the committee should come with a legislation introducing fixed quotas for PWDs in recruitment, saying it would strengthen inclusion.
The meeting also reviewed the ethnic composition of the agencies’ staff and their compliance with the 30 pc procurement reservation for special interest groups.
The Committee urged the agencies to diversify their job advertisement methods to reach marginalised groups with limited internet access.
