Senate probes disability access crisis in Mombasa’s public buildings
By Nancy Marende, September 2, 2025The Senate Committee on Labour and Social Welfare has raised alarm over widespread inaccessibility in Mombasa’s public buildings following harrowing testimonies from disability rights advocates who described systemic barriers shutting people with disabilities out of government services.
The committee, chaired by West Pokot Senator Julius Murgor, convened in Mombasa on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, to consider a petition led by civil society activist Zedekiah Adika.
The session brought together the Mombasa County Assembly Labour Committee, officials from the Ministry of Labour, the National Council for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD), and engineers from the National Construction Authority (NCA).
In an emotional submission, disability campaigner Charity Chahasi recounted her struggles entering the Mombasa County Assembly building.
“When I came here, I wanted to go to the gallery, but it was very difficult. People had to carry me up, and when people carry you, they don’t carry you in a proper way. Sometimes you may get hurt,” she said, capturing the frustration and indignity many people with disabilities endure daily.
Petitioners highlighted stark examples, including Bima Towers, a high-rise government building where broken lifts and the absence of ramps force people with disabilities to be carried up flights of stairs.
Senators reminded officials that Article 54 of the Constitution guarantees the right to dignity and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities.
Enforcement
However, enforcement has remained painfully slow. The NCA explained that many buildings under scrutiny predate its establishment, while NCPWD’s acting chief executive, Eva Njoroge, admitted that the 2003 Disability Act lacked the regulatory muscle to compel compliance.
That explanation was sharply criticised by Kilifi Senator (Rtd) Justice Stewart Madzayo, who accused the council of neglecting its mandate.
Njoroge countered that the updated Persons with Disabilities Act, 2025, had strengthened the agency’s powers and pledged that new regulations and guidelines would be operational before the end of the financial year.
Officials also cited ownership disputes and UNESCO heritage restrictions as barriers to renovations, but advocates dismissed these as excuses. “We cannot be told that the county assembly is a UNESCO-protected building, and therefore no reform can be made,” one speaker retorted.
The hearing also revealed the life-threatening consequences of inaccessibility. “People have even died in some of these buildings,” one participant told senators.