A CRY FOR THE "WEAK"

The general election is set to be concluded tomorrow with the Supreme Court verdict on the disputed election set for tomorrow. Courts have witnessed less hullabaloo a  far cry from the 2013 court battles.

Many seem to have settled for the popular saying..”there is always a next time. “

There is however another area that has raised
eyebrows and court battles may be witnessed soon. The list of the nominated to the various legislative houses seems to have not gone well with some accusing their respective parties on nominating on the basis of political loyalty with some even claiming nepotism.

Various governors are being accused of rewarding their staunch supporters leaving out those who merit the various nominations. People with disabilities seem to have been the most affected as their slots are given to those who don’t deserve as they don’t fall under the category of disabled.

Closer home, Elijah Churu Mwangi feels that unless the President and his deputy intervene, people with disabilities will be underrepresented both in the national and county governments.

Elijah lost in the Jubilee Primaries although he feels that external forces were used to deny him ticket through a malicious campaign against him by his competitors. He cites a case where allegedly his competitors told potential voters that he is assured of direct nomination by the Jubilee party hence no need of voting for him.

After he lost the Jubilee ticket, Mr. Elijah wrote to the Jubilee headquarters, forwarding his complaints a move he says bore no fruit. His name was not in the nominations list. From the headquarters, he was told to inquire from the Governor,Senator,Women Representative and the Mp about the nominations.

He did not get a response hence he contacted PS Irungu Nyakera and embarked on an intensive campaign for the president and the Jubilee party at large. This is despite the fact that he got little support from the Murang’a leadership. In the campaign he involved a lot the elderly and People with Disabilities who comprise quite a number.

He cites that a recent research showed that the elderly are around three million while people with disabilities number around seven million.

Mr Chege says he suffered a lot during his campaign due to discrimination and the heavy finances which he could not afford. He is an amputee after an accident that cost him his leg.

He feels that had the nomination been fair, there should have been between 10-15 PWDS in parliament. What puzzles him is who could have been so special as to have been allocated seats set aside for PWDs.

Speaking to Kkonline, he also forwarded some of the correspondence between him and the Jubilee party.
 

Its a cry of justice for Mr Elijah Churu as he calls upon the Executive to intervene and grant the PWDS their rights. Should he be denied his right simply because of different political standings from the Murang'a leadership? Isnt it his right to support whomever he wishes without infringement of his rights and justice?
As he rightly puts it, disability is not inability and anyone in a fraction of a second can find himself with unexpected disability.  Justice should be a right for everyone.