The National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC) has called on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to ensure accessible registration, polling stations and voter materials for persons with disabilities.
The Commission made the call at the Election Stakeholder Engagement and Dissemination of Resource Materials, held with UDPK, Uraia, the IEBC, the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) and the Embassy of Denmark. The engagement advanced disability-inclusive electoral processes ahead of the General Election.
THE FIVE PER CENT PRINCIPLE
Article 54(2) of the Constitution requires the State to ensure the progressive implementation of the principle that at least five per cent of members of elective and appointive bodies are persons with disabilities.
The Commission holds that the principle is realised only when registration, party primaries, nominations, campaigns and polling stations are accessible to all.
A CALL TO EVERY ACTOR
The Commission called on political parties to hold open primaries and to nominate persons with disabilities in winnable positions, and on the media to report fairly and without stereotypes.
It called on citizens to register, to encourage family members and neighbours with disabilities to participate, and to report any exclusion to the Commission.
The Commission will continue to monitor, audit, advise and investigate. In its view, accessibility is the test of democracy, and a credible election is one in which no Kenyan is left behind.
