Tanzania’s Assembly Speaker Job Ndugai has urged persons with disabilities to exercise their constitutional right to vote for the upcoming general election on October 28, 2020.
He brought together the leaders of people with disabilities across the country, speaking at the opening of a two-day symposium, organised by Ikupa Trust Fund (ITF)
Persons with disabilities had displayed their potential in their positions as government leaders and civil servants and could run for elective positions and join decision-making bodies.” said Mr. Ndugai.
He expressed concern over the sluggishness of people with disabilities to seek two percent of local government’s revenue, saying it limited their participation in socio-economic development activities.
“Sometimes, we receive reports that only fewer people apply for these interest-free funds from the local authorities. We wonder whether some challenges in the entire process and if so, then we need to amend procedures,” he said. The government has directed local authorities to allocate 10 percent of their revenue to support women, the youth, and people with disabilities.
While women and the youth each receive four percent and people with disabilities receive two percent, the number of people seeking funds remains limited, prompting demand for at least one percent.
The symposium, which brought together the leaders and representatives of people with disabilities, was organised to train them in leadership, democracy, and economic issues.
