HomeOp/EdEditorials Editorials It’s a boon for people living with disability

The government’s move to raise the retirement age for its workers living with disabilities from July 1 is commendable.

Allowing them to retire at 65 years, five more than their able-bodied counterparts, will offer them a chance to enjoy quality life for a longer period in paid employment when they would otherwise languish in poverty.

Although the government has yet to effect the much-touted contributory pension scheme that would have allowed civil servants and teachers to earn better pay-outs upon retirement, this move on the disabled will certainly sort out a group that has for too long been neglected.

It, however, galls that the government had to be petitioned by people living with disabilities before implementing the policy.

Given that the new Constitution and the Persons with Disabilities Act are expressly clear on the rights the affected citizens should be enjoying, the government must not wait for lobby groups to remind it of its role.

For instance, it must insist that imported appliances meant for the disabled are tax-free.

It must also develop rules that ensure buildings are friendly to people living with disabilities. We must not continue having storeyed buildings that lack functional elevators.

In a nutshell, deliberate measures must be taken to make it easier for this group of people, estimated to comprise 4.6 per cent of Kenya’s population, to enjoy quality life like their counterparts.

With the rising numbers of ageing people, many of who develop disabilities as the years get on, the government must move to put in place structures that will guarantee they lead a decent life.