Stop discrimination: Warns legislator Sankok as he vows to take Nock elections issue to Parliament
Nominated Member of Parliament David ole Sankok is training his guns at the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) for what he termed as discrimination against sporters with disability.
Reacting to an article by People Sport on Thursday in which it was reporteddicating that the Paralympics body had been barred from taking part in the committee’s elections on November 16.
Sankok who also doubles up as the chairman of National Council of Persons with Disabilities, told People Sport that he would all the influence he has to ensure that Nock is compelled to incorporate the paralympians in their polls and future activities.
Despite the fact that Paralympics is yet to be incorporated to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), during the last NOC-K Electoral General Assembly held on September 29, 2017, it was unanimously passed in minutes that are in our possession, that Bowling, Squash, Netball and Paralympics will be incorporated into the committee and allowed to vote in their next polls.
Bowling, Squash and Netball federations have already been given the green light to participate in the exercise, while lympics has been shut out.
“That is discrimination and totally against article 54 of our constitution, against the United Nation convention on the rights of persons with disabilities which Kenya ratified in 2008 therefore part of our laws and against PWDs act of 2003 session paper number 14,” Sankok told People Sports yesterday.
The 42-year-old legislator from Narok who hosted members of the Paralympics team for lunch at the weekend, lost his ability to walk unaided in 1988 after he contracted pneumonia at the age of 12 years. He said massive reforms must be done at Nock to ensure equal representation.
Sankok is calling for active involvement of persons with disabilities in the planning of strategies and policies that affect their lives.
“Look at the Nock composition. There is no PWD in their National Executive Committee (NEC).
Therefore, our motto is: “Nothing About Us Without Us”. How are they going to discuss our issues with us yet we don’t have any representation?
As long as I am in parliament, I will push for the full participation and equalization of opportunities for, by and with persons living with disabilities,” he added.
Sankok says he intends to push for a law that will ensure PWD are actively involved in sports right from primary schools, just like their abled colleagues.
“We need to seriously talk about nurturing talents from an early age if we want to win more medals at the Paralympics.
But at present nobody in Nock cares about PWDs, we need to change that mind set by having those who understand our predicament part of the body,” he challenged.
