The National Fund for Disabled Persons (NFDK) donated an assortment of tools and equipment worth Kshs 0.5million to 19 individuals living with disabilities in Lugari Sub County with the beneficiaries being advised to ensure they use the tools to improve their livelihood as intended.
Speaking when she presided over the handing over ceremony held outside Lugari Deputy County Commissioner’s office at Lumakanda, the NFDK chair Professor Julia Ojiambo warned against selling of the equipment.
She said it was regrettable that certain disabled persons upon receiving aid tools from the government, convert them into cash instead of using them to change their lives.
The chairperson said for the last 40 years the government has been committed to ensure that persons with disability live better lives through funding their business initiatives and mobility assistance devices and it was disappointing to see some of the beneficiaries selling them.
“Aid to improve lives for the disabled has been in existence for the last 40 years and we thank our past and current governments for committing decent lives for the disabled,” Prof. Ojiambo said.
She said the equipment aid from the National Fund for the Disabled was being delivered to the successful persons after their applications adding that the government through its administrative organs is ensuring no disable child or adult persons are denied benefits from the National Fund for the Disabled.
“Government will employ all means to identify persons with disabilities hidden in villages so that their right of decent living is upheld,” she said.
She encouraged more PWD to apply for assistance from the Fund, noting that application aid forms for PWD were available at DCCs offices and its lower administrative units.
Professor Ojiambo, however noted that those who had applied for trade tools assistance and were not successful should be patient because their time will come because NFDK was not biased to disabled persons seeking assistance.
Further, she noted that disability membership card application forms were available at social protection offices insisting it was important for the disable persons to possess disability identification cards so that they can enjoy a variety of privileges provided by the government and other social gatherings.
She was however, displeased with reports that some homes in villages were keeping the disable persons secret in their homes instead of registering them for government aid.
Speaking at the same event, Lugari Sub-County Deputy Commissioner Moses Gicharu, thanked NFDK for ensuring the disabled in rural villages receive direct government assistance.
Gicharu however, reiterated that the tools and assistive devices should serve the intended target persons noting that his office will be monitoring those who benefited from
the trade tools and assistive devices to see whether they are benefiting them or not.
