In a bid to strengthen inclusivity in the electoral processes, the Commission held a meeting with the Disability Inclusion Coordinating Committee (DICC) of IEBC on 30th May 2023, where the Committee presented the Disability Inclusion Audit (DIA) of the 2022 General Election.
The audit was conducted by the DICC in conjunction with the United Disabled Persons of Kenya (UDPK) and the Caucus on Disability Rights Advocacy (CDRA). The team was led by DICC Chairman Dr. Samuel Kabue, who is also a member of the Caucus of Disability Rights Advocacy.
Lawrence Mute, Lecturer at University of Nairobi and a member of Caucus on Disability Rights Advocacy, said the report will inform areas of improvement in the election cycle activities. “When you think about disability and inclusion, always have four factors in mind: attitude barriers, communication barriers, environmental barriers and institutional barriers,” he said.
The report recommends that the Commission forms joint technical level teams with PWDs to review policies and strategies to guide implementation of electoral cycle activities that are friendly to them.
The Commission’s Chief Executive Officer CPA Marjan H. Marjan, MBS lauded the DICC team and appreciated them for creating time to visit IEBC and present the report. The report will inform the policy and strategies of the Commission on disability inclusion.
“Improvement is a continuous process and we pledge to engage you to ensure there is inclusion. We appreciate your comments and believe we can do more if we continue working with you. Each stakeholder has a unique role, and so are PWDs. We have learnt a lot from your presentation. Inclusion in the Commission goes beyond Voter Education to other activities,” said Marjan.
Deputy Commission Secretary (DCS) - Operations Ruth Kulundu noted that the Commission is committed to improve its inclusion policy by working with PWDs.
“Our preparations for 2027 have started as per the electoral cycle. The earlier we engage the better. This will help us capture issues affecting PWDs and mainstream them in our operations,” said DCS-Support Services, Obadiah Keitany.
Dr. Kabue observed that UDPK and CDRA were pleased with the positive response the Commission’s Management team had shown to implement disability inclusion in their policy and processes. “We want to be part of legal reforms to have more MCAs who are PWDs in County Assemblies and audit voter education materials to make them friendly to us in a positive way,” he added.