NCPWD starts nationwide tax-exemption verification for persons with disabilities
Key points
- National Council for Persons with Disabilities leads multi-agency verification of PWD tax-exemption eligibility.
- Exercise launched with a two-day clinic at Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital; 400+ people already vetted there.
- Month-long drive covers 12 designated counties; applications digitised on e-Citizen then require physical assessment.
- Checks cover disability registration, proof of income and tax compliance; appeals available if eligibility is refused.
Tax relief for persons with disabilities is only as real as the register behind it. A multi-agency team led by the National Council for Persons with Disabilities has begun verifying who qualifies for exemption, KBC reported from Kisii.
CEO Dr Michael Munene, speaking during a two-day exercise at Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital, said the nationwide push delivers relief for PWDs in formal and informal work as provided under disability law. Kisii was chosen as a hub serving more than seven neighbouring counties; more than 400 people had already been vetted there. The month-long activity will run in 12 designated counties. Munene said operationalisation of the Persons with Disabilities Act, 2025 is in final stages to strengthen rights and enforcement.
County officer Gabriella Ogom said assessors review disability registration, income proof and tax compliance, with an appeal path if someone is turned down. Applications start on e-Citizen, then applicants must appear for physical assessment. Assessment lead Shem Onserio listed basics: national ID, and for minors a birth certificate with next of kin present.
Digitise carefully, or lock people out
e-Citizen helps audit trails; it also freezes rural applicants who lack smartphones, data or transport to the assessment centre. A fair exemption system needs outreach budgets, not only hospital queues in county HQ towns.
Finance desk: Finance. Related social policy: Kenya News. Verified Kisii launch, 400+ figure and e-Citizen step from KBC/KNA coverage.
NCPWD should publish the 12-county calendar and weekend slots. DPOs should run application helpdesks so brokers do not capture the process.
Treasury and KRA must honour verified certificates promptly — a card that never hits the payroll is theatre, not inclusion.
Employers in formal firms should brief HR on how verified certificates flow into payroll tax codes so workers are not sent back and forth between KRA portals and hospital queues.
Official gazettes, court rulings and agency circulars may update these facts after publication; readers should verify any deadline, fee or court date against primary sources before acting.
Based on KBC/KNA reporting of the NCPWD exercise. Eligibility rules follow the Act and implementing regulations.
