The National Fund for the Disabled of Kenya Board of Trustees has called on local administrators to ensure no disabled child is left out in the forthcoming National census.
Speaking on Friday at Nakuru’s Ngala Primary School for the deaf during the handing over of a dormitory and ablution block constructed by the Fund, Ms Cecilia Mbaka from the Board said the exercise is paramount for national planning.
The Board member who represented the Chair Ms Kristina Pratt Kenyatta called on chiefs to ensure that all persons with disability and more so children are also counted so as to assist the government in planning for disabled persons.
“Soon we shall be having the national census and I take this opportunity to call on all local administrators to help us ensure that persons with disability and more so children are also counted to allow proper planning,” said Ms Mbaka.
The new dormitory and ablution block constructed at Nakuru’s Ngala School for the deaf at a cost of Sh2.5 million is just one of the numerous projects that the National Fund for the Disabled of Kenya has sponsored in various special schools across the country.
Ms Mbaka revealed that several similar projects were being commissioned in various parts of the country.
According to the Board of Trustees’ member, all the projects sponsored by the Fund have been successfully completed.
She assured the society that the Board will continue to ensure transparency in all the projects so that the students living disability can also have quality education.
“Ours is one of the funds that has been well managed for the last 42 years and that is why all our projects are 99.9 per cent complete,” said Ms Mbaka.
According to Ms Mbaka, in Nakuru County, the fund has been able to sponsor small grants of Sh250,000 to Lanet special school, while 112 individuals have also benefited in the category of individual grant with equipment worth Sh2.5 million.
Lanet Primary special unit has also benefited in the last financial year with Sh2.5 million for the construction of a staffroom block as well as a dormitory worth Sh2.5 million for the Ngala School for the deaf under the flagship projects.
Professor Julia Ojiambo, also a Board member, called on parents to be ambassadors and share the message about the fund so that disabled persons can know more about it.
“I know we have many who are not even aware of the fund so let us be the ambassadors and spread the message so that it can reach them,” said Prof Ojiambo.