Crackdown on buildings that ignore disability access laws- Alfred Mutua

Speaking in a Senate plenary session on July 22, Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary, Alfred Mutua said his Ministry is stepping up enforcement of the Disability Act to ensure both public and private facilities provide equal access for people with disabilities.

Mutua has warned that the government will begin a crackdown on buildings and construction sites that fail to comply with disability accessibility laws, saying non-compliance will no longer be tolerated.

The Cabinet Secretary said buildings must be designed to accommodate people living with disabilities, including installing ramps, accessible lifts and braille markings on elevator buttons to enable visually impaired persons to navigate buildings independently.

The CS warned that his inspection teams will conduct compliance checks across the country and act against those who fail to meet the legal requirements.

“Do not be shocked if you see me walking around and shutting down some construction sites or shutting down or stopping people who have excessive noise or behaving in a manner that is not proper, especially for people with disabilities,” Mutua said.

“If you have a building, that building needs to be compliant. You need to have ramps, you need to have lifts that a blind person can use by reading the Braille markings on the buttons, as is done in other countries,” he said.

“So do not be surprised if some buildings are shut down because they have not complied,” he said.

Mutua also assured that the government has taken measures to make assistive devices more affordable, revealing that his Ministry now grants tax waivers for hearing aids.

He said individuals or organizations seeking to import hearing aids can apply to the Ministry for a waiver, allowing them to bring in the devices without paying taxes.

“We were able to lobby, and as a result, now people bringing hearing aids write to my Ministry, and we give them a waiver so they do not pay any taxes. That lowers the price,” the CS said.

The Cabinet Secretary added that the Principal Secretary has been authorized to approve the waivers daily to ensure people who need hearing aids can access them more easily.

Mutua said he plans to further streamline the process and pledged to return to Parliament with updates on the Ministry’s progress in improving services for people with disabilities.

CS Mutua also dismissed claims of delayed or unpaid salaries for workers at the Talanta Stadium project, saying it has not received any formal complaints regarding wage delays.

The Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary told the Senate that the Ministry had not been notified of any cases involving delayed or unpaid wages for workers engaged at the flagship sports infrastructure project.

He said workers can report such matters under the provisions of the Employment Act, the Labour Institutions Act and the Labour Relations Act.

Mutua said the Ministry has established mechanisms for receiving and resolving complaints related to delayed or unpaid salaries in line with Kenya’s labour laws. 

The Cabinet Secretary added that the Ministry has labour officers stationed in all 47 counties to receive complaints and facilitate their resolution.

“The Ministry has field offices in all the 47 counties with Labour officers ready to receive and address such reports and/or complaints,” he said.

Mutua said that the move is intended to demonstrate the government’s commitment to protecting the rights of people with disabilities and ensuring full implementation of the law.