Disability is not Inability

:: The PDSTO/ADSV has arranged a demonstration to draw attention to their plight.

Their members are camped in front of the Nation Centre in downtown Nairobi, a major media outlet where they are unlikely to be harassed by the police. About 150 hawkers are involved in the action, with fifty to sixty at the camp – in at any given time.

“We’re going to stay here until we get results or until we die, in public where everyone can see,” said Mr. Erastus Kinyua, secretary of the PDSTO. “We have no other choice.”

The hawkers demand a lift on the ban until alternative sources of income are opened to disabled people in Nairobi. They also want designated locations where hawkers are permitted to operate. If they are not allowed to resume operations, they demand some form of welfare to support their families.

“l hate begging,” Mr. Kinyua added, also stating that he and the other hawkers would prefer not to have to rely on government hand-outs. “All we want is a way to support ourselves honestly.”

On July 25, the camp-in entered its tenth day. The hawkers have demonstrated in front of the Parliament Buildings, various ministries, and even the UN Nairobi offices. Their representative has also tracked down the responsible government ministers in an effort to secure the full enforcement of the 2003 Disability Act.

To date their struggle has been met with indifference and lies from the government. Only when the members of the members of the PDSO/ADSV went to the UN did the government finally respond to their existence with a promise to address the situation within two weeks.

No solution was reached or even pursued.

“They don’t seem to understand our problem,” Mr. Kinyua explained.

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