The people with disabilities in Mbale city have asked the employers in the country to consider them as equal citizens when recruiting employees for jobs.
In Uganda an estimated 12%of the population has disability yet 22% of the unemployed Ugandans have disabilities which indicate that disabled people have lesser opportunities for employment. This has stacked poverty among them.
Meanwhile, the persons with Disabilities Act 2006 makes provisions for the elimination of all forms of discrimination against persons with disabilities and for equal opportunities.
Also, the equality act 2010 says that no one must be discriminated against because of disability whether by perception or association which calls for non-discrimination in employment that an employer shall not discriminate against a person with a disability on the basis of the disability of that person.
However, members of Namuwondo Persons With Disability Association in Bukonde Sub County Mbale City have not tested the fruits of these laws as they continue experiencing discrimination in the job market.
According to Sheikh Khaukha Uthman, a founding Member Namuwondo Persons With Disability Association, job discrimination against them still exists. He says that other employers assign heavy physical tasks to disabled persons which do not match their physical abilities.
He recalled when he applied for the job in one of the coffee factories in Kampala which he didn’t name for fear of legal action, but was tasked to carry sacks of coffee on the back well knowing that he could not manage and yet the company had other vacancies which he could ably handle. He added that persons with disabilities are rich with active brains to handle secretariat and managerial tasks.
Wabende sulayi says that ever since he got in an accident while working with the TUGENDE bodaboda company, he has tried to get another job but was always denied. Worse still he lost all the money he had to pay the hospital bills without any help from the company he worked for.
Kawala Zilani says that she operates a small hotel to support her children going to school and also provide them with necessities after losing her husband. She asked the government to come to their rescue through programs that can enable them to create their own jobs.
Madand Zubair also calls upon the government to come up with development activities and engage these persons with disabilities.
Namuwondo People With Disabilities Association was formed in 2010 to bring them together Persons With disabilities and also encourage them to save a little money for development.
