New Law to Provide Tax Reliefs to Parents and Caregivers

By Harrison Kivisu

Email, thecoastnewspaper@gmail.com

Nominated Senator Crystal Asige says parents and caregivers of children with disability will get tax reliefs once the persons with disabilities (PWD) bill 2024 that she has sponsored is fully operational.

The bill was passed in the Senate in February, 2024 and is now on the floor of the National Assembly awaiting adoption.

She said the full implementation of the bill would create big economic relief to the disability community.

The new Persons with Disability Bill seeks to repeal the old disability act 2003, and will ensure it takes into account new ideas, new technologies and brings in new solutions to disability problems which were not in the old act.

“This bill repeals the old 2003 PWD act and brings new provisions including tax exemptions for parents and caregivers with children with disability, because they really struggle and that’s my in my bill, that is one new addition provision that is not in the old law,” she said.  

Other bills sponsored by the Senator that have been passed by Senate include the startup bill, Kenya sign language bill, learners with disability bill 2024 – all awaiting Parliament nod.

“All four have passed unanimously in the senate, no senator voted against them back in February and now they are in the national assembly awaiting adoption, before they are taken to the president or assent.”

Speaking at the Swahilipot Hub in Mombasa on July 25, 2025 during a mswada wangu public sensitization forum, Sen Asige asked the young people engaged in the SME sector to take advantage of the startup bill to protect their business innovations.

The Startup bill, according to her, brings together the SME community and it takes care of startups innovations in the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises MSMes sector through a legal backing.

“The bill is seeking to bring together the SME community, create a legal framework that supports innovation and small business space, we have a lot of innovations from the young people but there has been a lack of a legal framework to guide them.”

On the Kenya sign language bill, she says it will ensure sign language is taught in schools and incorporated in the curriculum.

The law will make it mandatory that all public institutions employ sign language interpreters to help those with hearing problems.

“With the sign language bill, we will ensure it’s taught in public schools as a lesson so that we can embrace the community and people can have an idea of sign language, and also ensure public institutions embrace sign language.”

For the Learners With Disability Bill, the law proposes fines to be imposed on parents who secretly hide their children away from education.

The law further seeks to ensure inclusive education provisions to all disabled children without separation.

“All public institutions should keep all the students in one room, all counties should have all learners in the same classroom, and there should not be separation during education.”

Poline Kunyonga, one of the disabled persons from Mombasa asked the National Assembly to fast-track the passage of the law to ensure the targeted community gets help.

“The law is good because it concerns us, we will get relief because we have been sidelined for a very long time especially on education,” she said.

According to her the law on tax exemption will help those with businesses.

“We are asking that the exemption certificates be given quickly as soon as the law comes into effect.”