Kenya Network of Women and Girls with Disabilities

Rural Women Voices CBO is a grassroots member of the Network, based in Kajiado County under the stewardship of Rose Resiato. At Network level we have been happy to engage with Rural Women Voices CBO who bring perspectives and experiences of indigenous women with disabilities from the Maa Community. As Rose notes, ‘in the Maasai community, there are certain cultural practices that still undermine the space of women and girls with disabilities within our communities, leading to their exclusion from participating at community level.’ At Network level, we recognise the intersecting identities of our members more so groups that are likely to face further marginalisation such as indigenous, rural women and girls with disabilities.   As such, Rural Women Voices CBO is another Network member that is implementing the Ford activity where at Network level we are seeking to nurture leadership skills of young girls with disabilities. Read more about the Ford Foundation grant, as well as more...

The Federation of Deaf Women Empowerment Network (FEDWEN Kenya) is a strong member of our Network and is doing amazing work with Deaf women and girls. Fedwen is one among three Network members who are implementing activities that seek to nurture the leadership skills of young girls with disabilities under the Network. Read more about our Ford Foundation grant here. On 29th March, the Fedwen team made its way to the Rev. Muhoro School for the Deaf, where they have brought together young Deaf girls and boys whom they intend to support in this leadership trajectory, a process that is geared towards supporting the young girls and boys in meaningful civic engagement in their communities.   Rev. Muhoro School for the Deaf is situated in Nyeri County, a few kilometers from Karatina town, close to a three-hour drive from Nairobi city. The school rests in a picturesque place. Beautiful hilly landscapes with a river flowing between the hills are a few landmarks that give someone a sense...

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. ...