CSR Project: Increasing persons with disabilities participation in community and social life
Your Excellency the Vice President of the republic of Kenya, Hon Kalonzo Musyoka,
Permanent Secretary Ministry of Home Affairs
Chairman and members of Kenya Re Board
Chairman, Standard Group
Members of staff of Kenya Re
Our project partners Standard Group and Association of the Physically Disabled of Kenya
Members of the press
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
All protocols observed
It gives me pleasure to witness this milestone in the history of Kenya Re.
For the benefit of those who are not familiar with Kenya Re, Kenya Reis a parastatal in which the Government owns 60% and the remaining 40% is owned by the public through the Nairobi Stock Exchange. Kenya Re is governed by a Board of Directors which is accountable to the shareholders. We strive to observe high standards of integrity and corporate governance.
The Board is keen to observe the principle of taking into consideration interests of other stakeholders. Through this Campaign Kenya Re does recognize that we have a legal and social obligation to all our legitimate stakeholders including persons with disabilities who compose our internal and external clientele.
Alongside Kenya Re’s commitment to our mission and objectives in business it is our duty and responsibility to pursue social objectives by appreciating the community we operate in through giving back to the society. To this end we have institutionalized this commitment by coming up with a corporate social responsibility policy. The objective of the policy creation is to solicit support in form of finances, materials and technical support to causes and activities which represent social value as per board approvals. Our CSR has a two prong approach; focus on insurance/reinsurance industry concerns and focus on public concerns - national disasters/ tragedies, declared as such by government of Kenya, severely disadvantaged families and communities in Kenya. Persons with disabilities in our country are definitely part of our target group.
Kenya Re believes that CSR is a strategic business channel and a means towards creation of equitable and sustainable benefits. The benefits also as articulated in our CSR policy include: enhanced reputation and brand value, license to operate among key stakeholders, shareholders, increased efficiency in operations (disability sensitiveness and awareness being part of promoting efficiency), increased ability to attract and retain quality employees and attracting and retaining quality investors and business partners.
A disability maybe physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional development or some combination of these. Disabilities make it harder to take part in normal daily activities. Available statistics show that persons with disabilities have limitations in access to education, employment, social and public amenities. This eventually leads to poverty and impoverished conditions as they are less empowered to participate fully in the economic activities.
Going by the 2007 Kenya National Survey for Persons with Disabilities, the most prevalent disability is physical at 30% while 65% of persons with disabilities interviewed regarded the environment as a source of major barriers including poor road and transport systems. One of the major causes of disabilities and especially physical disabilities in Kenya is road accidents. According to the Global Status Report on Road Safety released on11th June, 2010, approximately 1.7 million people die each year on the world's roads, and over 10 million sustain injuries, and about 70 percent of these in developing countries. The report also revealed thatKenya suffers the highest number of road fatalities in East Africa.
Half of the sustained injuries lead to permanent disabilities like amputation, paraplegia or even quadriplegia. These persons will require mobility aids like wheelchairs, crutches, artificial limbs etc alongside other forms of support like rehabilitation and awareness creation to change attitude for them to reintegrate into society. Kenya Re is aware that not all these persons who acquire physical disabilities can access these services and is coming in to support fill the gap. Through this envisaged three year project Kenya Re shall be contributing to the Government’s Vision 2030 through the Social Pillar, the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and shall be supporting the 2011-2020 UN declared decade of action for road safetyas a result of the shocking road carnage statistics.
Kenya Re CSR Priorities in the past have included: -
- Support to destitute and orphaned children
- Placement of internally displaced persons following 2007 post poll violence
- Promoting academic excellence in institutions of higher learning; award of outstanding scholars in various disciplines including actuarial science
- Offering attachment and volunteer positions for university and college students
Going forward, we intend to: -
- Place further emphasis on insurance education for increased public uptake
- Empower persons with disabilities and support efforts to mainstream them into society aware that a physical handicap should not define an individual or what they are capable of doing.
This Niko Fiti Campaign is done out of enthusiasm enhanced by the overwhelming support Kenya Re is already giving to the society through its various CSR priorities including willingness to promote lives of persons with disabilities and those in disabling conditions. I am happy to note that Kenya Re is in the process of converting all our buildings to make them friendly to those with physical disabilities.
We understand that the National Council for Persons with Disabilities in conjunction with Disabled Persons’ organizations and Disability service providers is organizing an award for ‘Excellence in Disability Issues Management and focus’. We shall endeavor to be the best in this area and win the award.
‘The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step’.
We are grateful to our implementing partners namely The Standard Group and the Association of the Physically Disabled of Kenya who have been very instrumental in getting this project this far. On that note, I appeal to other organizations to join forces with us in this endeavor and make a Kenyan declare ‘Niko Fiti’.
It is now my pleasure to invite Mr. Paul Melly, The Standard Group Vice Chairman and CEO to make his remarks.
1