Sam Masaba Wekesa, Executive Director National Union of Disable Persons of Uganda (NUDIPU), Edson Ngirabakunzi and Executive (Both centre)

Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) working with people with disabilities have appealed to government and the private sector to make more efforts creating  jobs for people with disabilities to enable them live decent lives.

The group wants the Ministry of Labour to work in consultation with employer’s organizations to determine the percentage the persons with disability that they can employ in both public and private sector.

They propose that 5% jobs in private sector and 10% jobs in public service should go to persons with disability.

Addressing the media at NUDIPU offices in Kisasi in relation to employment of persons with disabilities, the Executive Director of the National Union of Disabled persons of Uganda (NUDIPU), Edson Ngirabakunzi, says that the negative perception on the disabled persons should change among employers to enable persons with disabilities get jobs.

“Even with an increase in education and skills  in different fields of persons with disabilities, they are still among the group which are under employed in both government and the private sector.We need this to change by ensuring that government and the private sectors employs more people with disabilities who can before as much as people who are normal at a work place,” he said.

Ngirabakunzi is also concerned that a number of persons acquire disability while at work but are dismissed without compensation.

He asked the public service commission to develop affirmative guidelines to facilitate the recruitment of persons with disabilities in public sector.