Kenya Network of Women and Girls with Disabilities

"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...

The Network was represented at the 87th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights by two delegates. In this statement, we acknowledge the support we have received from partners to be present in a regional advocacy space.   As women with disabilities, we wish to acknowledge the important role played by persons with disabilities and their representative organizations at the grassroots, national, regional, and global levels in amplifying the voices of women with disabilities and ensuring our visibility and recognition.  Although women with disabilities have increasingly occupied development spaces, they are still far from realizing their full potential and fully enjoying their fundamental rights as provided for in various legal instruments. To draw attention to these issues during the 87th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the Kenya Network of Women and Girls with Disabilities and Women Challenged to Challe...

In this blog, Rose Resiato shares updates from a recent engagement where Rural Women Voices CBO held a teachers' and parents' engagement aimed at strengthening the role of educators and caregivers in nurturing leadership among girls with disabilities. R ead the first part of this continuing engagement, in a process meant to strengthen the leadership capabilities of young girls with disabilities.  'Empowering girls with disabilities to become confident leaders requires the support of not only schools but also families and communities, says Rose, adding, 'The initiative forms part of broader efforts to empower school-going girls with disabilities to grow into future leaders in our communities." Strengthening Inclusion through Training The engagement brought together teachers and parents in a learning and dialogue session focused on improving inclusion and leadership opportunities for girls with disabilities, both at school and at home.  Participants were trained on ...

This blog post is authored by two young disability leaders that we work with at Network level as part of work that we are doing to advance and strengthen intergenerational leadership. By Vilda Atieno and Mirriam Chelang’at We have recently had an opportunity to represent the Kenya Network of Women and Girls with Disabilities at a Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) validation meeting convened by the Wangu Kanja Foundation.  The meeting brought together a diverse group of stakeholders to review and validate key findings and recommendations of a piece of research aimed at strengthening SGBV prevention and response efforts in Kenya. The discussions were intersectional in nature, acknowledging that survivors experience violence differently depending on various social and structural factors. A significant part of the engagement centered on the lived experiences of survivors of SGBV in Kenya. These conversations were deeply sensitive, but the organizers created a safe and respectful...

The 79th Session of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) is being held from 9th to 25th February 2026 at Palais Wilson in Geneva. From 9th to 10th February, with the support of the International Disability Alliance (IDA), Elizabeth Mang’eni had the privilege of representing the Kenya Network of Women and Girls with Disabilities (the Network) during this session. This has been the culmination of a two-year process, during which, together with the United Disabled Persons of Kenya (UDPK), we have engaged in an advocacy process that has enabled us to connect our local and national-level advocacy with global advocacy.Please read more about this process here: https://advocacynetwork.blogspot.com/2023/03/how-we-are-using-un-human-rights.html .  As a Network, we are honoured that we could get to present issues affecting women and girls with disabilities at this global platform.  On the first day, the team of Elizabeth, together with Sarah Muthoni and Maryanne ...