PWDs want affirmative action on employment opportunities

Jul 09, 2017

Discrimination more often takes place during interviews where nobody on the panel requires to know whether the applicant is a disabled person or not.

EMPLOYMENT | PWDs

KAMPALA - Persons with disabilities have appealed to the government and private sectors to have affirmative action given to them especially in employment opportunities.

They argued that the public service commission formalizes the affirmative action on the qualified persons living with disabilities while giving jobs.

During the launch of disability demands report carried out by National Union of Disabled Persons in Uganda (NUDIPU) in Kampala, it was revealed that even the fewer employed PWDs occupy lower positions and are mainly in physical disability category.

The report highlighted that only 25% of the private sector and civil society organisations sampled had provision for disability in their human resource policies.

Edson Ngirabakunzi, the NUDIPU executive director, said employers in most cases deliberately deny PWDs on the basis of their disability.

"Respondents in the survey carried out in Mbarara, Soroti, Lira and Masaka noted that whenever job adverts were placed, employers did not specify whether the people living with disabilities were eligible to apply or not."

Ngirabakunzi said discrimination among PWDs is more pronounced at district local government levels where service commissions don't notify labour officers in reference to the existing positions to be filled contrary to the employment act 2006.

"Discrimination more often takes place during interviews where nobody on the panel requires to know whether the applicant is a disabled person or not. This leaves many qualified PWDs jobless," said Ngirabakunzi.

Safia Nalule, Member of Parliament representing persons with disabilities, told New Vision that the government has not taken key interests in addressing PWDs' plight saying some officials either do it deliberately or lack training on issues of gender and equity.

She also suggested that more slots for PWDs representation in the Parliament should be created so that they can adequately articulate issues affecting them.

She said currently, there are only five PWDs representatives with one from each region of Uganda.

"The numbers should be increased to at least two representatives in Parliament so that their issues can gain support and be implemented."

Sam Masaba, the commissioner department of disability and elderly, highlighted on the existence of special grant in districts meant for the disabled people, but their leaders constantly fight for it at the expense of others.

He asked them to always innovate and start income-generating activities other than waiting for government to help them in all spheres of life.

"They should look at their weaknesses first before they come out crying to the government."

(Additional reporting by Monica Acan)

 

 

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