Kenya Network of Women and Girls with Disabilities

  In line with our work in the climate justice space, we have recently taken part in the Kenya Sustainable Water and Waste Management Public Forum where we shared perspectives around disability inclusion.  The two-day event brought actors who had been engaged by the Strengthening Civil Society Engagement for a Just and Sustainable Urbanization (SCEJU) – a 3-year project working with, among others informal water and waste actors - co-funded by the European Union and implemented by the consortium of Civil Society Urban Development Platform, Pan African Climate Justice Alliance and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung. Coming into this space was critical for us, given the project we are running on making the green transition inclusive of women with disabilities in Isiolo and Nairobi Counties. In Nairobi County for example, we see how issues of waste management are critical for our community of women with disabilities while in Isiolo County we see how issues of access to water are negati...

Women with disabilities from pastoralist communities reflect on climate change and their role in changing the narrative A screen grab from an animation made by Mariam    We visit Isiolo County in the backdrop of recent banditry attacks that have escalated insecurity in the   region. It has been recognized widely that banditry heavily impacts women in different ways. The   conversations that we hold with women with disabilities on this day, not only show how violence such as banditry impacts their lives, but importantly its relationship with climate change.  The women with disabilities see interconnections between climate change and violence, because as they state, ‘with depleted grazing grounds and drying rivers, as a result of climate changes, communities are at war with each other.’  As such, in the broad context, the women with disabilities note that to address the ravages of climate change will in one way or another address escalating violence...

Ramadhana is a young, disabled, university student. She recently vied for a leadership position in the University Student Union (Women Students Welfare Association). ‘We must be bold enough to go for these positions,” says Ramadhana, conviction in her voice. While she did not win the position she vied for, Ramadhana mentioned two other roles that she took up at the University, adding that she believes that leadership is not just in positions and titles but in everyday living.  Ramadhana is one among tens of students that we have engaged with in the past two years in a project where we sought to nurture the leadership skills of young girls and women with disabilities in institutions of learning. Whereas we centered young girls/women with disabilities, our project also engaged their teachers and parents. Considering not just our lived experiences as women with disabilities, we know the key role our families and communities play in how we acquire and exercise leadership. In a learning...

The Kenya Network of Women and Girls with Disabilities grieves with the family, friends and community of 31-year-old Mejumaa Mwaguni, a Deaf woman from Kinango, Kwale County, who was brutally murdered. Media reports indicate that Mejumaa went missing from her rented house on June 3, after which her body was later discovered naked and abandoned on the outskirts of Kwale Town on the evening of June 14, 2026. We condemn this killing. We call for justice for Mejumaa and all victims of Gender Based Violence, including femicide.  Women and girls with disabilities are listed in the report of the Technical Working Group on Gender-Based Violence including Femicide  among population groups who face systemic neglect or social stigma, which results in invisibility and impunity when abuse occurs. The report further notes that women and girls with disabilities face isolation, communication barriers, and dependency, which abusers exploit since the likelihood of victims reporting is hind...

"The headteacher looked at me and said I would scare the children away." Those words changed the course of one woman's life.After completing her Diploma in Education, a young woman with albinism walked into a school hopeful about beginning her teaching career.Instead of being judged on her qualifications, she was subjected to discrimination based solely on her appearance.The degrading remark from the headteacher shattered her confidence and left her questioning whether any employer would ever give her a chance.Faced with exclusion, she turned to self-employment as a means of survival. Sadly, her story is not unique. For many women and girls with disabilities in Kenya, barriers to employment, leadership, and participation remain a daily reality. Yet their resilience and determination continue to drive change in their communities. This reality was at the heart of the launch of the Green Transition Initiative and Community Advocacy Activities in Korogocho, Nairobi, held on 1...

As a recipient of a grant under the Meaningful Engagement - Transformative Action (META) consortium, our member NONDO ( Northern Nomadic Disabled Persons Organization ) has launched a project on making the green transition inclusive of women with disabilities in Isiolo County. This is the first of two county project launches, with the second one happening in Nairobi County in June 2026. META is a joint initiative by African Women’s Development and Communication Network ( FEMNET ), the Coalition for Sustainable Development ( SDGs Kenya Forum ), and Women Engage for a Common Future International ( WECF ) with support from the European Union Delegation in Kenya . “We are honoured to be implementing this climate justice-related advocacy project in Isiolo County. There is so much that needs to be highlighted on how women with disabilities from pastoralist communities navigate and lead conversations on the green transition,” said Fatma Mohammed, the CEO of NONDO.   The Isiolo launch bro...