People living with disabilities across the country are set to benefit from an initiative between the government and the National Council for Persons with Disabilities.
Through the initiative, about 349,000 people who have been registered as disabled, will be eligible for a range of benefits and free government services.
Kenya’s chief physiotherapist Titus Kilika on Tuesday announced that the 349,000 can benefit from tax exemption, purchase of duty-free vehicles, free medical cover and enrollment in government cash transfer programmes.
Kilika said the ministry of health had helped 9,889 people living with disability get tax exemptions and 693 have bought duty-free vehicles.
He said more than 50 per cent of the 349,000 registered have physical disabilities, while 16.9 per cent have mental disabilities.
“Kenya is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In Vision 2030, the government is to provide universal health coverage to everyone, including PWDs. This means that we are committed to improving the lives of these individuals in society,” he said in Nairobi.