PWDs in Nakuru issue a five-day demonstration notice over fund disbursement

Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika. [File, Standard]

The Nakuru County Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) community have issued a five-day peaceful demonstration notice to the county government over county PWD funds disbursement.

The group states that during the financial year 2025/2026, the allocated Sh25.7 million PWD funds were never disbursed to the intended beneficiaries, leaving them without essential socio-economic support.

In the 2026/2027 financial year, they claim that the county government omitted any budgetary allocation to them, without any explanation

The group now wants Governor Susan Kihika to, within five days, intervene and provide the status, management and disbursement of the county’s PWDs Fund.

In a statement, the group expressed disappointment over alleged lack of transparency and accountability for their money in the two financial years.

They demand comprehensive financial accountability through publication and full disclosure of financial accounting and disbursement reports for Financial Years 2025/2026 and 2026/2027.

“We need details of the total allocations, administrative costs, and direct funding beneficiaries,” they stated.

The PWDs also demand a full independent forensic audit of the fund's accounts, alongside a thorough investigation by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).

The investigations, the group maintains, should be aimed at salvaging the situation and holding accountable any parties involved in financial discrepancies or mismanagement.

“We further seek a clear, transparent criterion for beneficiary identification, alongside published success stories and verifiable community impact reports,” they demand.

The group further seeks official recognition and active involvement of PWD representatives within the Disability Fund Management Committee as fund managers and oversight officers.

In default, the group has issued a five-day ultimatum and notice of a peaceful demonstration, and sought protection from police brutality or intimidation.

“If these demands are not met within five days, the Nakuru PWDs community will resort to carrying out a peaceful demonstration across the county,” read the statement.

Despite the enactment of the PWDs funds under the Amendment Act of 2024, the group claims that implementation has remained stalled to date.

The community notes that the administration of their funds remains opaque, marked by a lack of social accountability, minimal public engagement, and limited political goodwill.

The group quotes the constitution, which mandates their dignity, equality, and socio-economic empowerment and demands systemic reforms and statutory accountability measures.

Alongside the statement, the group has also petitioned the County Assembly to investigate the non-disbursement of funds in 2025/2026 and compel the treasury to account for the same.

“The Assembly should intervene and amend the 2026/2027 budget estimates and re-introduce funding for the PWDs,” they plead.

They say that they made efforts to have the matter addressed by CECM Gender, Youth and Social Services, but the executive failed to give a satisfactory response.

They note that the county government established a disability fund to facilitate economic empowerment, assistive devices, capacity building and social inclusion for PWDs across the 55 wards within the county.

However, Stephen Hinga, a PWD from Bahati, stated that young mothers who have children with disabilities were suffering from a lack of support.

“We made proposals for young mothers to get funding for capacity building because they needed to educate others on the dangers of alcoholism, but we are always told that the money is at the procurement stage,” he said.

He cried because the mothers had taken loans to buy a tuktuk to facilitate the same and they only needed a public address system, which they proposed to the county government.

Sam Pesa urged the county to observe the 5 per cent job allocation for PWDs, noting that they were not being absorbed in the job market and only supported in beadwork and tailoring.

He also called for bursaries for the intellectually disabled PWDs to support their studies in tertiary institutions.

The Standard confirmed that the assembly has received the petition and the County Secretary’s office received a letter on September 7, which was stamped.

We reached out to the county government for a response on Monday evening, but by the time the story went to the press yesterday, there was none, despite promises.