Making Disabled Persons count in Disasters and Humanitarian Action

Disasters both natural and man-made are common in today's world. The United Nations which galvanizes and leads the world during disasters and humanitarian action calls for prioritization of Persons with disabilities during disasters and situations of risk. This is well articulated through the UN Convention on the rights of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) (UN, 2006). Kenya also has laws and policies to ensure their well-being is protected during disasters. The purpose of this study was to investigate how effectively humanitarian policy apply to protection of the well-being of PWD in disaster situations. Kisumu County in Kenya where the study was conducted is prone to disasters such as perennial floods, ethnic clashes, political violence and water borne diseases which increases the vulnerability of disabled persons. The study findings indicates that humanitarian policy framework is restrictive in nature in terms of planning, assessment, design and delivery of humanitarian relief with regard to the well-being of PWD in disasters. Further, humanitarian agencies are limited since they are handicapped in terms of resources and poorly trained staff to effectively deliver relief to PWDs.