Kenya Network of Women and Girls with Disabilities

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. 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, that 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 the victims reporting is hindered....

"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...