Kenya Network of Women and Girls with Disabilities

We live in a world that does not recognize pain," said Melissa Wainaina in a recent session with us. "To survive, we've been pushed to mask what we feel to fit in." These poignant words set a stage for us, as women with diverse disabilities in our Network, to start a reflection process. To not only think about the pains we go through at individual levels but also begin to think not just about pain and trauma but broadly about how they intersect with our collective advocacy...and what we would do about it. Unwelcoming Ableist Spaces as a Source of Trauma Experiences of trauma are not alien to many of us. Some experiences of growing up with disabilities in ableist societies include abandonment, exclusion and segregation, invisibility, esteem issues, fear, and uncertainty about acceptance, among many others. It goes without saying that many of these experiences are traumatic, yet often, we push them to the periphery. We don't talk about them. We immerse...

For two years, from October 2022 to October 2024, as the Kenya Network of Women and Girls and Disabilities (Network), we have been implementing a leadership program supported by the Ford Foundation. We sought to address gaps that exist within leadership and governance spaces for women with disabilities.  Indeed, strengthening the leadership skillsets of women with disabilities goes a long way in supporting them to occupy leadership and decision-making spaces where they remain underrepresented.  We reported diverse successes. Among others, we have seen strengthened collaboration between women with disabilities and county government departments that included the signing of memoranda of collaboration, inclusion in local community committees, and an increase in self-confidence, as reported by the women with disabilities in the program. We are thus highly encouraged and inspired to receive a new grant; 2024-2026) from the Ford Foundation that intends to build on the impact we have ...

  By Elizabeth Ombati and Mildred Omino Alphine Chepkorir is a girl with a disability from West Pokot whose story recently featured on Citizen TV about being denied a chance to join a private university she had been placed in.  Alphine Chepkorir amekosa kujiunga na chuo kikuu kwa kuwa mlemavu One of the key reasons she could not join the university is its inaccessibility for Alphine as a girl with a physical disability. As would be expected, there have been different reactions to the situation, with concerned citizens offering to give a helping hand. There have been suggestions to move Alphine to a more accessible institution of higher learning.  These are all good intentions. We however write this piece to reiterate that good intentions must accompany system changes, if at all we are concerned about how our diversity of learners, including those with disabilities, access quality inclusive education. One thing at the back of our mind is, what happens to thousands of le...

The Kenya Network of Women and Girls with Disabilities joins compatriots within the disability space in the call to demand that the President of the Republic of Kenya honours the Constitutional requirement that at least five percent of the members of the public in elective and appointive bodies are persons with disabilities. To this end we demand that a woman with a disability be appointed in the president’s new cabinet. Kenya’s national values and principles as espoused in the Constitution, include principles of equity, social justice and inclusiveness. Yet we note that in the ‘broad -based cabinet,’ no one identifies as a person with a disability. We reiterate that this lack of representation signals a lack of commitment to the full inclusion and participation of persons with disabilities in decision making spaces general. We also reiterate that when persons with disabilities participate in leadership spaces and public life, their voice is heard and reflected in policy decisions. ...

At the start of a 2-day stakeholder workshop, we launched a booklet that shares profiles of 40 women with disabilities in leadership spaces in Kenya. As a Network we celebrate both big and small milestones that our members, who are women with disabilities, make in their communities. “This is a reference to our journey as women with disabilities,” said Lucy Mulombi, our County Lead in Kakamega County. “I am glad that even our grandchildren and mentees will read about us,” she added. Just like Lucy, we are all excited about the big step of putting the booklet together. Working with the 40 women has inspired us greatly. We acknowledge their dedication and commitment to disability inclusion, and we are so happy that more young girls with disabilities will see themselves in these leaders. They will have women with disabilities that they can look up to, (in a beautiful booklet so to add 😊 ). It has been significant that we launch this booklet in a meeting with stakeholders, including wo...

As a Network, we continue exploring different ways to advance disability inclusion. We endeavor to keep playing a part to ensure that our communities are more inclusive and more accessible to persons with disabilities. Importantly, to support women and girls with disabilities to exercise leadership in their everyday life. One of the activities that we have recently conducted through the support of the Ford Foundation is holding Strategic Dialogues with Youths with Disabilities from different Higher Learning Institutions to reflect through leadership and what it means to them; barriers to their inclusion in their communities and collectively reflecting on solutions to challenges that they face. We brought together 20 young people with disabilities from 10   higher learning  institutions such as the University of Nairobi, Mt. Kenya University, Tangaza University, Thika Technical Institute, Kenya Institute of Special Education, Kenyatta University, NITA (National Indust...