Senator Crystal Asige has called for full enforcement of the Persons with Disabilities Act, 2025, urging Kenyans to embrace inclusion as she outlined key reforms contained in the new law that centers on the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities.
Speaking on Wednesday during a breakfast meeting with media professionals in Nairobi, the visually impaired senator and founder of the Crystal Asige Foundation said the new Act was not just a legislative milestone but a social contract that demands a mindset shift from pity to empowerment.
“Disability itself does not discriminate. It is society and systems that do this. This Act transforms how the government, institutions and communities respond to disability with access, equity and justice,” she said.
The Senator, who gradually lost her sight during her youth, said the journey had inspired her to champion equality through lawmaking, culminating in the passage of the Persons with Disabilities Act, 2025.
She noted that the new legislation replaces the 2003 framework, introducing far-reaching provisions on accessibility, inclusive employment, education, and digital access.
Among the highlights, the Act mandates that at least 5 percent of housing projects by government agencies be allocated to persons with disabilities under interest-free terms.
It also introduces tax incentives for employers who hire persons with disabilities and extends retirement age from 60 to 65 years for such workers to allow fair career progression.
Senator Asige said the law recognises neurodiverse conditions such as autism, Down syndrome, and cerebral palsy for the first time in Kenya’s legal framework and directs the Ministry of Health to train teachers, caregivers and community health workers on early intervention and sustained care.
“Every time a child with autism or cerebral palsy receives timely therapy, that is a life changed forever, this Act gives that intervention a legal backbone,” she noted.
To promote inclusivity in the media, the law requires all broadcasters to dedicate at least one hour of free airtime each month to disability awareness and to ensure their content, websites and platforms are accessible to all, including through captioning, alt text and sign language interpretation.
Senator Asige urged journalists to act as “catalysts for accountability,” translating the provisions of the Act into practical awareness and holding institutions to account.
“The success of this law depends on how well the public understands it, media can humanize disability stories, amplify innovation and change perceptions,” she said.
The law further empowers the National Council for Persons with Disabilities to audit public and private institutions for compliance, issue enforcement orders, and impose penalties for failure to meet accessibility standards.
Senator Asige also announced plans to push for a special national census for persons with disabilities, noting disparities in the 2019 population data that showed a drop from 1.3 million in 2009 to 960,692 despite overall population growth.
“Without accurate data, we cannot plan or budget effectively, if we are not counted, we do not count,” she said.
She called on the government to allocate funds for the special census, saying it would form the basis for evidence-based policy and equitable resource allocation.
Asige emphasized that while legislative progress has been made, the biggest challenge remains attitudinal dismantling ableism and fostering understanding that inclusion is not a favor but a national obligation.
“Before we build physical ramps, we must first build mental ramps, true change begins with how we see and treat each other,” she asserted.
The senator pledged continued collaboration with media, government and civil society to ensure implementation of the new law, promising to remain accessible and accountable to the disability community.
“This law is not a trophy to be admired but a tool to be applied, together, we can build a Kenya where every citizen, disabled or not, is seen, heard and valued,” she said.
By Naif Rashid and Mary Ndanu
