The Discrimination of People with Intellectual Disabilities has affected their parents and families in a big way.

The Kenya Society for the Mentally Handicapped (KSMH) worked very hard to sensitize the Ministry of Finance on the need to put in place a cash transfer fund specifically for people with intellectual and mental disabilities. After an exchange of many letters and issuing of press statements on the issue, the Government in year 2009 allocated to the people with intellectual disabilities KShs. 200 million to be disbursed by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Development. The people with intellectual disabilities were very happy and were very patient waiting for the Ministry of Gender to implement the funds. Unfortunately, the funds were not implemented, and are yet to be implemented to date.

In early 2010, KSMH enquired from the Ministry of Gender on the delayed funds implementation. This was not only ignored but later disclosed that the said funds were to be given to people with other disabilities; while those with high cost of needs due to intellectual disabilities would have to wait for consideration in the future. The said guidelines for the disbursement of funds had not only been given to KSMH but was also published on the website of the National Council for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD). This issue brought a lot of pain to the people with intellectual disabilities and their parents.

 It was an outright show of discrimination based on intellectual and mental disabilities. These forms of historical injustices have been meted out on people with intellectual and mental disabilities since Kenya became independent. It is based on these injustices that persons with intellectual disabilities were labelled using degrading terminologies, which were used to totally exclude them from the administrative and legal framework of government.

With the above background, the adults with intellectual disabilities and their families this time round, decided not to let go of the funds allocated to them by the Government and publicly announced on National Television. In mid 2010, the parents of persons with intellectual disabilities wrote a formal letter to the permanent secretary to the ministry of gender, children and social development; articulating the many aspects of discrimination meted out on people with mental disabilities, and demanding immediate implementation of the funds allocated to this sector. The feedback from the permanent secretary was negative and non committal.

 After several meetings between the parents and the permanent secretary, it was revealed that KShs. 200 million of funds allocated to people with mental disabilities in year 2009, could not be traced. The parents declared a campaign that included demonstrations meant to push the Ministry of Gender to implement the funds. The campaign is ongoing and a demonstration has been announced to take place on the 30th March 2011.