John Thawite
2 December 2008
Kampala — PERSONS with disabilities in Kasese district have received 174 wheelchairs worth sh165m from the Rotary clubs of Kasese and Mengo.
The Kasese Rotary Club president, Epafura Masereka, said the wheelchairs were secured from Wheel Chair International.
"These chairs are part of a consignment of 5,000 for our Rotary District. The value of each chair is $500 (about sh900,000)," she said.
He said those who helped the club raise the funds included Robtex Kasese Enterprises, Kasese Nail and Wood Industry, Kasese Civil and Building Contractors and Pride Trading Company.
The chairperson of persons with disabilities, Joshua Mugenyi, said there are 3,000 disasbled primary school children in the district.
He appealed to the Government to improve access to social services for the deaf and the blind.
"The number of children with disabilities reduces in upper classes owing to inadequate facilities and negative attitudes and poverty," Mugenyi said.
The defence minister and Bukonzo West MP, Dr. Crispus Kiyonga, handed over the wheelchairs at a function at the Boma Grounds on Saturday.
He cautioned the public on discriminating against the disabled, saying MPs like Babadiri and Ndeezi were very active in Parliament.
The minister said: "Polio is preventable if we all fight poor hygiene and sanitation around our homes."
Kiyonga decried the environmental degradation in the district and announced that he was forming an organisation to plant trees.
He also announced that he had joined the Rotary Club.
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