The Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic and Student Affairs), Prof. Hussein Golicha (seated center), Job Placement Officer NCPWD- Ms. Jane Wamugu and MMUST team.

Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST) is hosting officials from the National Council of People with Disability (NCPWD) for a two-day audit on usability and accessibility to reinforce its compliance with the Council’s standards. The purpose of this audit is to establish how well the University’s buildings perform in relation to access and ease of use by a wide range of potential users, including people with physical mobility and sensory impairments. The exercise which began today, 30^th March 2023 to Friday 31^st March 2023, is coordinated by the Disability Mainstreaming Committee.

The team paid a courtesy call to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and Student Affairs), Prof. Hussein Golicha who is representing the Vice Chancellor. Prof. Golicha urged the visitors to feel at home as they undertake their audit.

“We are happy to have this activity taking place at our institution. MMUST is at the forefront to promote inclusivity and in case there are areas that require adjustments, we shall implement them according to your standards,” said Prof. Golicha.

The other notable personalities present were the Director, Privately Sponsored Student Programmes- Prof. Ondiek Alala (representing DVC PRI), the Chairperson Disability Mainstreaming Committee - Prof. Danstone Lilechi, Coordinator AIDS Control, Gender and Disability Mainstreaming Unit (ACGDMU)- Prof. Gladys Mengich, and Disability Mainstreaming Committee members; Mr. Daniel Korir, Mr. Paul K. Rotich, and Mr. Lawrence Oluchiri.

The two-day audit is aimed at performing an assessment of infrastructure for accessibility that allows easy navigation by the PWDs. Some of the areas to be assessed include; door knobs, lifts, stairs, gates, lecture halls, parking, and lighting. Additionally, the audit will also involve an evaluation of the Website accessibility, Procurement procedures, and Human Resource roles regarding the employability of the PWDs in the institution.

Once the assessment is done, the NCPWD officers will submit a report regarding the audit that will state the performance of the University. Thereafter, there will be a de-briefing on the findings for implementation by the University.

Certainly, there is a need to embrace such exercises to promote the Accessibility and Usability of the built environment to ensure MMUST as a whole is accessible to PWDs.