On May 20, Jubilee Vice-chairperson David Murathe sparked controversy during an interview on KTN, stating that albinism is not a disability.
"I think Sophia, the pigment of somebody's skin is not a disability. There is nothing that I can do that Mwaura cannot do, there is nothing that Gachagua can do that Mwaura cannot do, there is nothing that Mwaura can do that we cannot do. In fact, we are going to revisit the definition of persons living with disabilities," he stated.
The Albinism Society of Kenya has since condemned Murathe's remarks, saying they deny people living with albinism political opportunities.
"Mwaura is not only a Member of Parliament with Albinism representing Persons with Disabilities but is also a role model and mentor to many Persons with Disabilities," the society noted.
"Questioning his disability, therefore, questions the disability of all persons with Albinism that he identifies with or represents," the society added.
The society explained that persons with albinism living in Kenya had gone through a struggle to have albinism legally recognized as a disability, with the Board of Directors for the National Council for Persons with Disabilities adopting an institutional policy in 2006 that made Albinism a stand-alone category among the categories of disabilities.
The incident comes months after similar utterances were made by Suna East MP Junet Mohammed, who claimed that Mwaura 'bleached' his skin so that he could be nominated to parliament.
Junet was later forced to issue an apology after his remarks on albinism caused widespread uproar.
The Albinism Society of Kenya has since made a complaint against Junet at the National Cohesion and Integration Commission.
