The National Assembly Committee on Cohesion and Equal Opportunities has raised concerns over serious staffing shortages and failure to meet constitutional disability employment thresholds at the Coast Development Authority (CDA), following a week-long fact-finding mission along the Coast region.
The committee, chaired by Mandera West Member of Parliament Adan Yussuf Haji, had an engagement with CDA to assess whether constitutional rights, particularly for persons with disabilities, were being upheld on the ground.
“The Constitution has given rights to the people of Kenya, particularly the disabled; we want to know whether that right is practically being given on the ground, and we must verify that those rights are being implemented,” Haji said.
The Committee found that CDA has not yet met the mandatory five per cent employment threshold for persons with disabilities as required by the Constitution.
The authority was, however, commended for putting up facilities to improve access to services for persons living with disabilities, though the committee noted that some of those facilities still require adjustments.
“We have seen some of them are very good, but a few of them need to be adjusted here and there. We have given them the advice,” the chair said.
Beyond disability rights, the Committee identified a critical staffing deficit at CDA, attributed largely to a Cabinet directive that froze hiring, promotions, and staff replacements across several state authorities, pending a government decision on which agencies would be merged or dissolved.
Since the directive took effect, the authority has lost staff through retirement, death, redeployment, and resignation.
Haji also expressed his opposition to the proposed dissolution of some regional development authorities, stating that he remained a strong advocate for the survival of such institutions.
“I want Ewaso Nyiro Development Authority to remain because of what it is doing for my people,” he said, adding that the same case applied to CDA and other similar authorities serving communities across the country.
The committee also assessed gender balance, ethnic diversity, and compliance with the 30 per cent procurement policy for youth, women, and persons with disabilities during its engagements with CDA and other institutions, including the Kenya Ports Authority, Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KEMFRI), and the Kenya Maritime Authority.
Haji said that the committee would compile a comprehensive report with firm recommendations to be formally submitted to the Head of Public Service, calling for urgent action to fill vacant positions across affected authorities.
“We shall compile a comprehensive report to the Head of Public Service. We shall tell him that there is an urgent need to fill positions; without human beings, no services can be rendered,” he said.
By Ramadhan Nassib
