Supporting Autism Awareness Kenya - make this Sunday a Funday

Action Network for the Disabled (ANDY) is supporting the Autism Awareness campaign, which is telling Kenyans all about this little-recognised disability.  ANDY’s Maxwell joins Autism Awareness Kenya’s Director  Sospeter Kioko Munguti and counsellor Trixie Pujol Autism Spectrum Disorder is a lifelong development disability that typically appears during the first 36 months of age. It affects communication, behaviour and social skills and interactions. Typical communications signs that a child is autistic include limiting point/gestures, peculiar use of language and not responding when their name is called. Behavioural signs include unusual toy play or repetitive body movements, while socially they may make very little eye contact, show little interest in being held and have difficulty developing friendships with other children. It is not a disease so there is no 'cure', but with treatment and the right education and care any autistic child can go on to lead a full and active life; having jobs, relationships and playing a valuable role in their community.  ANDY's Joshua and Lilian join Trixie on the stand ANDY represents and supports persons with all types of disability, so we jumped at the chance to join Autism Awareness Kenya at an information stand at Yaya centre, Nairobi, today. Autism Awareness Kenya is a society organised by parents of children with autism and the professionals who work with them to unlock their potential.  ANDY colleagues will also be on other Autism Awareness Kenya stands in shopping centres across the city over the next three days, and we will have our own stand at the Funday on Sunday, between 10am and 4pm at the Goan Institute in Pangani. It's FREE to enter, and there will be live music, a DJ, and lots of stuff for kids including face-painting and a bouncy castle. There will be food available to buy, or you can bring your own picnic. Please come along and learn more about autism, meet the professionals and experts in the field and above all, have some fun. If you cannot make it on Sunday and think that your child or one you know may have autism, assessments are available at the ENT department of Kenyatta Hospital, every Tuesday and Thursday. The Special Education Professionals (SEP) also carry out assessment centres at Gertrude's Hospital from 9-12 on the third Saturday of every month. If you are outside Nairobi, go to your local Ministry of Education office and ask for details of your nearest Education Assessment Resource Centre (EARC). Autism Awareness Kenya is looking for parents, professionals and passionate volunteers to form into groups across the country.For more information or just to get in touch go to facebook and search for Autism Awareness Kenya.

National Youth Council - time is running out to get involved

Kenya’s young majority is getting its own voice in government, and ANDY wants to make sure that young persons with disabilities across the country can play their part, both as voters and as representatives.

To take part in the National Youth Council elections, you must register with your local youth officer by April 8^th. Nomination forms and other information is all available from the youth congress .

ANDY has been publicising this opportunity to young disabled persons in Kenya. It is vital that this generation produces leaders who can bring disability issues out of the sidelines and into the heart of Kenyan politics and society.

In our workshops, we’ve seen many talented advocates who are trying to begin their career in public service. If you want to either join them or support them then you have to start by registering to vote.

If persons with disabilities can’t take opportunities like this, then disability issues will never find their way to the top of the youth or the national agenda, and we will never challenge the perception that persons with disabilities cannot represent themselves in mainstream politics.

To find out more about how to play your part, click here.  The timeline for the elections is:

ACTIVITY	TIME FRAME
Registration of Voters	14th March-8th April 2011
Elections from the Sub-Location level to the Provincial level	18th April-20th May 2011
National Delegates forum	26th – 27th May 2011
National Youth Congress	30th – 31st May 2011
Gazettement of the National Youth Council Members	June 2011

Task-forcing the major disability issues

ANDY spent yesterday putting disability issues on the agenda of Kenya’s devolved government planners.

We went to one of the public meetings in Nairobi organised by a government task force, which is visiting each of Kenya’s 47 counties to ask for views on what devolved government should look like.

This was the last public meeting, but you can still have your say. ANDY is putting together a special report containing the views of persons with disabilities and the organisations that represent them. Click here for more information.

The task force wants to know people’s opinions on just about everything, including how to protect minorities, how parties should select their lists for proportional representation, how government should communicate with us and what will make people want to participate.

So ANDY’s team set off for the meeting determined to represent the views of the persons with disabilities we have been speaking to about the big issues. It is a very good job we were there to do it, as the vast majority of persons with disabilities would not have been able to participate. 



The top of the less than friendly steep path down to the venue.
The task force is on the right, the people some distance away on the left!

To start with, there was an unadvertised change of venue, which we only discovered after being sent all around the original venue, the DO’s compound, and asking just about everyone where this major public meeting was. Finding the location and then reaching the new venue – Joseph Kangathe fields by Nairobi Water – took around an hour. If this long walk didn’t stop persons with physical disabilities attending, then the steep, uneven path to the seating area would. It was totally inaccessible to wheelchairs.

This theme continued from there. There was no sign language interpreter and the speakers made constant references to material which had been handed out; but no versions were available in braille or large print.

Lilian puts your issues on the task force's agenda

 So when ANDY’s Lilian Kivutu was given the floor by the chair it was not difficult for the crowd and task force to understand the points she made about accessibility, inclusion and communication with persons with disability. The task force is promising a separate consultation with persons with disabilities as part of the process. This is great news but inclusion will only exist when persons with disabilities are able to take part in mainstream events like this one. The minority groups will stay marginalised if they are not allowed to take a full and active part in all aspects of Kenyan life. This is what the constitution promises, but it is down all of us to make those promising words turn into reality.  

As many of the early contributors were being heckled and by the crowd and warned by the chair for speaking for far too long, Lilian wisely decided to concentrate on the most pressing issues. She gave a passionate and informed contribution covering how to communicate with, encourage participation of and protect persons with disabilities in devolved government. The key points she made are:

• To protect the minorities and marginalised groups they must be represented at all levels of policy making.
• Education and awareness on civic knowledge must be done to let them know why they should be protected ,who and what protects them and the steps they should take if and when their rights have been violated.
• A quarterly gazette should be produced documenting what the county has done, how much has been spent and what funds are left to spend.
• The information and communication should be made in such way that it gets to everyone. For example a sign language interpreter should be used to reach the deaf in every county, documents should also be produced in both braillle and large print the simplest language possible should be used.
• In all counties public institutions must be accessible to all persons with disabilities who are using wheelchairs and all other forms of assistive devices.There are lots more issues to have your say on. Please click here and help ANDY tell the government what you want from your devolved governments.

Have your say - put disability on the devolved government agenda

The government wants your views on what devolved government should look like. A task force is asking what you think about a range of issues, including:

 how the government should communicate with you

 how you could be encouraged to participate

 how government should be made accountable

how marginalised groups should be protected

These are all key questions for the disability sector, so this is a great opportunity to make sure that devolved government's structures bring to life some of the gains persons with disabilites have made in the constitution.

So look at the questions below and tell us what you think about any of them. ANDY has attended public meetings to lobby on behalf of persons with disabilites, asking for - among other things - better communications in formats we can understand, meetings in disability-friendly public buildings, better access to education, and to make sure persons with disabilites are represented at all levels of govenment. We are now writing a report to give to the task force which will contain the views of persons with a range of disabilities and the organisations which represent them.

So all persons with disabilities should either come into our offices or email info@andy.or.ke with your comments by Thursday 24 March, which will give us enough time to write the report to submit by 31 March.

We also want to hear from Disabled Persons Organisations, and in particular the results of any beneficiary focus groups you can hold or that we can attend.

Here is the government task force's press release on the issue, which includes all the questions:

TASK FORCE ON DEVOLVED GOVERNMENT
PRESS STATEMENT ON COUNTY CONSULTATIONS

Pursuant to the New Constitutional requirements on Devolution and governance, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Local Government established the Task Force on Devolved Government on the 22^nd October 2010 through Gazette Notice 12876 dated 25^th October 2010. The purpose of the Task Force is to help think through the implementation of the devolution process and advise the government on policy and legal frameworks of devolving power, resources and responsibilities to the people of Kenya for effective local development. 

The Terms of Reference of the Task Force are inter alia to “with reference to specific provisions of constitution, collect and collate public views on how implementation of the devolved government should be structured”.   

 In view of the aforesaid Terms of Reference the Task Force will be visiting all the counties and these are the issues we are going to raise:-

Issue 1:           Cooperative Government, Inter-Governmental Relations and Levels of Governance

1.         What actions are needed to facilitate cooperation and consultation between County governments and between County governments and the National Government?

2.         What actions are needed to facilitate the undertaking of joint functions between County governments and between County governments and the National Government?

3.         How should the County government cooperate with National Government Ministries, Parliament, the Judiciary, and the Commission for Revenue Allocation and other Constitutional Commissions?

4.         What actions are needed to facilitate linkages and consultation between a county government and its senator?

5.         What considerations should be taken into account in establishing cities and urban areas in counties?

6.         How should cities and urban centers be governed?

7.         How will cities, urban areas and municipalities relate with county and national governments?

8.         What other decentralized units will be necessary in County governments and why?

9.         How should conflicts between County governments be addressed?

Issue 2: Functions of and Service Delivery by County Governments

1.         What conditions must be in place in a county before a function is transferred to it?

2.         How should these functions be exercised and services provided by the county governments and by whom?

3.         What are the key factors that should be considered in planning within counties?

4.         How should the county public service be structured, staffed and managed?

5.         What type of capacity and skills will be required for effective service delivery at the county government level?

6.         How do you want national government functions exercised and services provided at county level?

7.         What do you think should be the role of the Provincial Administration in the counties?

8.         How would you like the provincial administration to be restructured to play its roles?

9.         How should organisations providing cross-border services (for example water services boards) be managed?

10.     How should a county government manage services being implemented on its behalf by quasi government bodies or lower county structures?

11.     When should functions of the national government be transferred to county government and vice versa?

Issue 3: Financial Resources and Management in County Governments

1.         What should be the basis for any allocation of funds and grants to county governments?

2.         How should conditional and unconditional grants be applied to promote the objects of public finance and achieve the goals of national development?

3.         How should current devolved funds (such as CDF, LATF, Road Maintenance Levy Fund (RMLF), Youth Enterprise Fund, Women Enterprise Fund, Bursary Funds, etc) be managed in the context of County Governments?

4.         What criteria should be used to allocate the resources from the Equalization Fund within a county?

5.         What controls and safeguards should be put in place to prevent misuse and inappropriate application of funds at the county level?

6.         What other taxes should a county government be allowed to raise?

7.         What should be the criteria and requirements for the approval of loans and loan guarantees to county governments?

8.         What sanctions should be applied to county governments for abuse and/or default in the repayment of loans?

9.         Under what conditions/circumstances can national government intervene?

10.     What procedures and practices should county governments apply to ensure sound budgeting and financial management?

Issue 4: Political Governance, Leadership, Accountability and Integrity in County Governments

1.      What should be the qualifications, leadership qualities, and experience of the governor, senator, county assembly members and county executive members?

2.      What should be the procedures for appointment and approval and removal of the county executive committee?

3.      What should be the procedure for election of the County Speaker?

4.      What kind of electoral processes will enhance political competition and choice at County level?

5.      What should be the size and population of each ward in a county?

6.      What should be the procedures for developing party lists for proportional representation?

7.      How should the performance of the governor, deputy governor, senator, assembly speaker, assembly members, and executive committee be assessed and enforced?

8.      How should a county be governed during suspension of the county government by the national government?

9.      What transition procedures and institutions, if any, should there be to ensure continuity of county government?

Issue 5:   Public Participation and Oversight and Protection of Minorities and Marginalized Groups.

1.        What criteria should be used to determine minorities and marginalized communities in counties?

2.        How can minorities and marginalized groups in counties be protected?

3.        What procedures should be put in place to ensure public participation and influence in county governments’ affairs?

4.        What kind of oversight measures and checks should the public have to ensure performance and accountability by the county government?

5.        What information and communication methods are required for the public to effectively participate in devolved governance?

6.        How should members of the public receive feedback from the county governments?

7.        How can Information Communication Technology (ICT) be utilized to promote good governance and accountability in counties?

Memoranda and written views can be submitted to the Task Force office located at;

·        Bima House, 12^th floor,

Harambee Avenue

P.O. Box 30004-00100

NAIROBI

·        Memoranda can also be submitted via email through; devolvedgovt@gmail.com,

devolvedgovt@localgovernment.go.ke

Contact Persons

Pauline Muriithia, Joint Secretary                       -           0722407514

Anthony Ombwayo, Joint Secretary                  -           0723125617

Angeline Hongo, Joint Secretary                       -           0722759769

Mutakha Kangu,

CHAIRMAN, TASK FORCE ON DEVOLVED GOVERNMENT.