When the forgotten Rise: Uasin Gishu PWDs remind power to remember its promise

By Mr. Fredrick Kipchumba Chelimo – PWD

Communication/Spokesperson: Uasin Gishu Disability Umbrella CBO

Email; jiamini.network@gmail.com

“Sometimes citizens must stand in the sun to remind those in power that promises made in the comfort of public offices belong to the people.”

There comes a moment in the life of a community when patience must give way to courage, when silence can no longer be mistaken for contentment, and when citizens must remind those entrusted with public responsibility that promises made in their name cannot be allowed to disappear in the corridors of administration. For persons with disabilities in Uasin Gishu County, that moment arrived this week.

For the second time, representatives of persons with disabilities drawn from the county’s 30 wards took to the streets to demand accountability over the KSh15 million disability empowerment commitment. Their action was neither an expression of hostility towards government nor an appetite for confrontation. It was the culmination of prolonged waiting, engagement, petitions and attempts to obtain explanations through established channels that had seemingly yielded little progress.

For more than three hours, the demonstrators remained outside the Governor’s office under a scorching sun, singing solidarity songs and peacefully insisting that their concerns deserved attention. Eventually, they were granted an opportunity to present their petition. An earlier petition had already been submitted to the County Assembly, demonstrating that the community had sought institutional engagement before resorting to public demonstrations.

The subsequent response byH.E Governor Jonathan Bii has provided a significant development in this unfolding matter. The Governor explained that he had personally ensured that the KSh15 million commitment was provided for in the county budget, suggesting that some demonstrators might not have been aware of this allocation. He further indicated that the challenge arose during the requisition process and undertook to have the matter resolved within less than a month. In addition, he announced that KSh500,000 would be channelled to each of the county’s 30 wards through the Inua Biashara programme.

This assurance deserves acknowledgement. The disability fraternity should appreciate the Governor’s clarification, his willingness to address the matter and the commitment to resolving the administrative bottleneck within a defined period. Constructive leadership is demonstrated not merely through making promises but also through listening, responding and taking responsibility for ensuring that commitments translate into tangible outcomes.

Nevertheless, gratitude must not obscure the circumstances that brought persons with disabilities to the streets. With due respect to the Governor, the demonstrators were not necessarily unaware of the original commitment. On the contrary, they knew about it, believed in it and wanted to see it implemented. Their concern was not the absence of a promise but the apparent inability of the administrative machinery to translate that promise into reality.

If the difficulty genuinely arose at the requisition stage, then this episode exposes a fundamental question about public administration: what happens between a government commitment and its eventual delivery to the intended beneficiaries?

A budgetary allocation is only one stage in the public expenditure process. Requisitions must be initiated, processed and approved, implementation must follow, and accountability must be maintained throughout. Every officer entrusted with these responsibilities has an obligation to facilitate service delivery rather than become an obstacle to it. Public administration must never become a maze in which legitimate citizen expectations are endlessly redirected without satisfactory explanations. A budget is not an achievement merely because figures appear in official documents. Its real value is measured by the difference it makes in the lives of the people for whom the resources were intended.

The Governor’s latest announcement therefore presents an opportunity to move beyond the immediate dispute and establish a more meaningful approach to disability empowerment. The proposed KSh500,000 allocation per ward must not become another programme designed for persons with disabilities without their meaningful participation. Those expected to benefit must be involved in identifying priorities, determining interventions and monitoring implementation.

For too long, disability inclusion has sometimes been approached as an administrative exercise rather than a partnership founded on dignity, rights and equal citizenship. Programmes are conceived in offices, budgets are prepared, and implementation frameworks are developed without sufficiently appreciating the lived experiences of the intended beneficiaries. Yet persons with disabilities understand their circumstances better than anyone else. They know the barriers confronting them in employment, education, healthcare, markets, transport, public services and economic participation.

Their experiences constitute valuable knowledge, not an inconvenience to programme administrators. Meaningful inclusion requires government to recognise persons with disabilities as active contributors to development rather than passive recipients of assistance.

Consequently, the implementation of the KSh15 million must be anchored in transparent consultation with representatives across all 30 wards. Eligibility requirements should be clear, vulnerable households identified fairly, and interventions designed around demonstrable needs. Proper records, transparent procurement where applicable, accessible information and joint monitoring should form part of the implementation framework. Every shilling must be accounted for, and every intervention should have an identifiable empowerment objective.

The principle of “nothing about us without us” must become more than a familiar expression repeated during disability awareness celebrations. It should inform everyday county governance.

To those who participated in the demonstrations, there should be no embarrassment or regret. Their efforts have brought renewed attention to an issue that deserved an administrative resolution. There is an old expression about the courage required to remind a king that his garment is not properly fastened. This week, Uasin Gishu’s disability community demonstrated precisely that kind of civic courage: his officers failed to tell the Governor the true situation and the efforts of PWDs on demonstration did.

They did not assemble to pursue political positions, personal enrichment or individual recognition. They came together around a shared concern affecting a community whose economic and social challenges remain considerable. That distinction must be respected.

Indeed, this experience should become a catalyst for greater unity within the disability fraternity. Differences in organisational affiliation, personal ambition and individual opinion must never overshadow the collective pursuit of constitutional rights and equal opportunities. The community needs stronger coordination, constructive engagement and sustained advocacy capable of transforming legitimate demands into measurable institutional progress.

The County Assembly, having received a petition, also has an important oversight responsibility. It must ensure that the matter receives appropriate consideration and does not disappear into committee proceedings or official correspondence. Equally, the Governor’s office must provide the leadership necessary to ensure that the promised resolution is achieved within the stated timeframe.

Should implementation fail to materialise, persons with disabilities retain their lawful constitutional right to pursue peaceful demonstrations, petitions and other appropriate accountability mechanisms. Civic engagement is not an act of disloyalty; it is an essential expression of responsible citizenship.

For now, however, there is an opportunity to transform confrontation into collaboration. We welcome the Governor’s clarification, appreciate his assurance and recognise the proposed allocation of KSh500,000 to each ward. But the ultimate test will not be another announcement, another meeting or another budgetary explanation. It will be delivery.

Let the wisdom that inspired the original KSh15 million commitment guide its implementation. Let consultation replace assumptions, transparency replace uncertainty and empowerment replace tokenism. Let the resources reach the intended beneficiaries and restore confidence in the institutions entrusted with serving them.

Ultimately, the greatest legacy of this episode should be larger than the money itself. It should be the recognition that persons with disabilities are not spectators in decisions concerning their lives. They are citizens, contributors, rights-holders and partners in development.

“We did not march to defeat our government; we marched to remind it that we are part of it. The promise has been heard once again. Now let it be fulfilled

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