Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has lauded his counterpart in the Senate, Crystal Asige, for her diligence and excellence in serving the people. Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna (right) praised his counterpart in the Senate, Crystal Asige, for representing people with disabilities.Who is Crystal Asige? Asige is a former member of the Sol Generation music group. The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) nominated Asige to represent People with Disabilities (PWDs) in 2022. Speaking to the Mic Cheque Podcast, Sifuna also praised Kenyans who use social media platforms and opportunities to meet with legislators to push agendas that benefit the country, not just individuals. Who is Micere Nyaga? He was referring to Micere Nyaga, a mother of a child with a disability who reached out to him with contributions to a bill that would take care of the needs of PWDs. “Some people know how to use the social media platform and meet with others by discussing bills and policies before parliament. Micere Nyaga explained the issues she wanted to be addressed. She came to my office and explained things I had not perceived in a particular way. “I called my colleague Crystal Asige the best PWD representative ever if you compare her to others from other political parties. We listened to Nyaga, got new angles about the bill, and made amendments on the same day and the bill passed,” Sifuna recounted. Sifuna urged Kenyans to utilise their opportunities with their leaders to push policies and proposals that would make the country better for everyone. Crystal Asige’s track record Asige has been vocal and actively pushing agendas to make life better for PWDs. In 2023, Asige highlighted the challenges facing street vendors living with disabilities in the Nairobi CBD. In her protest against the harassment of the vendors who were teargassed and harassed, Asige tabled a statement in the Senate. “Since then, the Senate Committee on Trade, Industrialisation and Tourism has been deliberating on the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood) Bill 2023. In today’s scrutiny of the draft bill, I presented my concerns about the exclusion of issues faced by street vendors with disabilities in our public markets that this bill has not expressly dealt with,” she shared about the progress of the bill. TUKO.co.ke understands that the above committee resolved to rework the bill to ensure optimal inclusion of all stakeholders. She asked Kenyans who wanted their input on the bill to email her to present them in the House. Asige, despite being a senator, has not gone slow on her music career and released a mixtape with new hits in 2023.
by Michael Ollinga Oruko