This week, Kenyans usher a new Government. After a period filled with countless promises, the citizenry is very hopeful of those promises coming to fruition. Like the rest of the country, there are some things I hope will be done differently.

To start with, I hope AGPO will be streamlined and the issue of pending bills will be dealt with, so that more persons with disabilities can take up the opportunity and benefit from the provision. I also hope that the new set of leaders will be protective of persons with disabilities who want to do business from the proxies who only use persons with disabilities for face value purposes in AGPO related businesses.

Beyond AGPO, persons with disabilities have fantastic business ideas. But owing to systemic challenges like inadequate capital and expensive expert labour, these ideas remain just that. Can there be a way of incubating these ideas in Government run incubation Centers where all the factors of production are present? Of course, these ideas have to be protected, and the best way to do this is by the Government having a stake in the ideas.

Better still, the Government could subcontract startup incubators who will guide persons with disabilities in building businesses based on their ideas while the incubators learn about disability inclusion in the process. Such a collaboration would see organizations such as Riziki Source also gain new partnerships to link up startups with labour, as not everyone can start and run a successful startup.

Alternatively, there's the Legislative route where laws can be implemented or proposed to induce such actions in the private and public sector. Already, the private sector has positioned itself well for similar progress through the NSE ESG index, even though guidance should be provided, given the wide array of diversity reforms for corporates to undertake.

Expand the opportunities for persons with disabilities.

Recent blog posts