Weeks after Members of Parliament passed the Kenyan Sign Language Bill, 2023, Huduma Kenya has expanded sign language support services across several Huduma Centres in a move expected to improve access to government services for deaf Kenyans.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

In a public notice, Huduma Kenya announced that select centres across the country now have sign language interpreters available to assist deaf customers seeking government services.

The centres offering the service include Mombasa, Siaya, Nakuru, Kakamega, Vihiga, Makadara, Bungoma, City Square, Eastleigh, GPO, Homa Bay, Isiolo, Kibra, Kilifi, Kirinyaga, Kisumu, Laikipia, Marsabit, Nyeri and Samburu, bringing the total number of branches with sign language interpreters to 20.

The move comes shortly after the National Assembly passed the Kenyan Sign Language Bill, 2023, one of the country’s most significant accessibility reforms aimed at strengthening communication rights and promoting inclusion for persons who are deaf, hard of hearing and deafblind.

📌 What You Need to Know

For years, disability rights advocates have argued that the absence of sign language interpretation in many public institutions has locked thousands of deaf Kenyans out of critical information and essential government services.

The expansion of sign language interpretation services at Huduma Centres is now being viewed as part of broader efforts to make public services more accessible and inclusive, especially after Kenyan Sign Language was formally recognised as an official language under the Constitution.

According to data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics 2019 Census, Kenya had an estimated 153,000 Deaf persons aged five years and above. However, disability organisations argue that the actual number could be significantly higher when people living with varying forms of hearing loss are included in the estimates.

Additionally, the Kenya National Association of the Deaf estimates that people with deafness or hearing loss could account for about 5.5 per cent of Kenya’s population, translating to roughly 2.7 million people based on population projections. Other disability advocacy groups and hearing care organisations have similarly estimated that between 800,000 and 3 million Kenyans could be living with some form of hearing impairment.

The Bill, co-sponsored by Millie Odhiambo and Umulkher Harun , proposes to formalise the use, regulation and promotion of Kenya Sign Language across schools, public institutions, courts, media platforms and telecommunication services.

The availability of interpreters is expected to help deaf Kenyans navigate government services more independently by improving communication during applications, inquiries, and access to official documents.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke