Senator Asige Pushes for Full Inclusion in Implementation of Persons with Disabilities Act

Senator Crystal Asige speaking at a breakfast meeting in Nairobi on November 12, 2025

Senator Crystal Asige has urged the government and all sectors of society to embrace full inclusion and equality for persons with disabilities, saying the new Persons with Disabilities Act, 2025, must mark a turning point in how Kenya perceives and supports its citizens with disabilities.

Speaking at a breakfast meeting in Nairobi, the senator said disability should no longer be viewed as a limitation or a label but as part of human diversity deserving of dignity, independence, and equal opportunity.

“Disability itself does not discriminate,” she said. “It is society and systems that do. My hope is that this law helps us create a new story, one that acknowledges persons with disability as whole human beings and people with diverse capabilities.”

Asige, who sponsored the landmark law, said her personal journey, from losing her sight in her teenage years to serving as Kenya’s first blind senator inspired her to transform personal challenges into policy change.

Among the most significant reforms in the Act is the abolition of repeated reassessment for persons with permanent disabilities. She criticized the long-standing practice where individuals had to continually prove their disability to retain benefits such as tax exemptions.

“Why should someone who is blind or deaf have to prove every few years that they are still disabled?” Asige asked. “This process was humiliating and unnecessary. The new law provides lifetime tax exemption for those with permanent disabilities restoring dignity and fairness.”

The Act also extends tax reliefs to caregivers and guardians of persons with disabilities, a move Asige described as long overdue recognition of the emotional and financial burdens carried by families.

“Parents and caregivers will finally feel seen and supported for their daily sacrifices,” she said.

To ensure sustainability, the senator called on the national and county governments to allocate sufficient resources for the full rollout of the Act, including the establishment of therapy centers in schools, improved accessibility of public spaces, and the creation of monitoring units within ministries to ensure compliance.

“This law is not just words on paper,” she emphasized. “It demands investment, enforcement, and continuous reporting. The government must lead by example by making every service and building accessible.”

Asige also highlighted the justice and equality principles that underpin the Act, saying inclusion should be seen as a matter of rights, not charity.

“We must shift from sympathy to systems,” she said. “From pity to policy. Justice for persons with disabilities means equity, access, and respect, not handouts.”

The senator urged the media to play its part in transforming public perception by dedicating their time to disability awareness and profiling innovators, leaders, and artists with disabilities.

“Let’s raise a generation that sees inclusion as normal, not as exceptional,” she said.

Asige concluded by calling for a special national census of persons with disabilities to correct discrepancies in existing data and ensure equitable budgeting.

“If we cannot count our people accurately, we cannot serve them justly,” she said.

With the new law in place, Asige expressed optimism that Kenya is entering a new chapter, one where ability, not disability, defines citizenship.