The Kenyan government will earmark about $15.5 million to assist people with disabilities who are affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Peter Muchiri (pictured), the chairperson of the national council for people with disabilities (NCPWD), said the money will improve the livelihood of the beneficiaries. About $11 million of the amount will serve as a monthly allowance to support 30,000 people.

Such aid from the government will provide much-needed assistance to people with disabilities, especially in the context of covid-19. The restriction measures rolled out to control the spread of the virus and the socio-economic fallouts exacerbate those people’s difficulties in accessing adequate care and testing.

As a reminder, the Kenyan government has put in place several social programs in recent months to help vulnerable populations better cope with the coronavirus. In collaboration with the World Food Program (WFP), a cash transfer program was launched to help 279,000 people in Nairobi's informal settlements in July 2020.

According to official stats from May 2019, about 2.2% of the Kenyan population (that is 913,000 people) have a disability. Figures showed that women (2.5%) are more affected than men (1.9%).

Moutiou Adjibi Nourou