Disability in Kenya

Inclusive Infrastructure Case Study of Nairobi. (2022, AT2030)

The nightmare of living with a disability in Nairobi, discusses accessibility and transport. (2022, The Standard)

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Unlocking potential: How assistive technology is transforming lives in Kenya. (2024, ATscale)

GDI Hub, Google and AT Scale launch pioneering project to test ‘Mobile at Assistive Tech’ in Kenya, Brazil and India. (2023, Global Disability Innovation Hub)

Self-taught Kenyan cousins invent bio-robotic prosthetic limbs. (2023, Mail&Guardian)

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Impact

Spaces of Exclusion and Neglect: The Impact of COVID-19 on People With Disabilities in Bangladesh, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria, and Uganda. (2023, Space and Culture)

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Processing our Pains, our Traumas... Collectively “How do you show up at a collective level when you have so much pain to process at the individual level?” (2024, Kenya Network of Women and Girls with Disabilities)

New realities: Protests and disabilities. “Certainly, acquiring a disability can be devastating to say the least. But it doesn’t have to be.” (2024, Elizabeth Ombati)

Disabled vendors spend night in chilly weather to get Sakaja's attention More than 50 disabled people slept outside Sakaja's City Hall office. (2023, The Star) See further context on Citizen Digital.

Profile of John Wambua of the United Disabled Persons of Kenya. (2022, Inclusive Futures)

A new book: Disability and Social Justice in Kenya Scholars, Policymakers, and Activists in Conversation. “Kenya has been on the forefront of disability activism and disability rights since the middle of the twentieth century.” (2022, Michigan Publishing)

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Discussion paper on climate change and disability rights. A study in Bangladesh, Kenya and Nepal. “Lack of transparency of government budgets both centrally and decentralised across different ministries makes it difficult to understand where money is being spent and potentially being re-allocated during times of climate crisis.” See also videos from Malawi and Zimbabwe. (2023, CBM UK)

Include persons with disability in climate action plans (2022, The Standard)

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Sign Languages

Teaching sign language will be of benefit to all Kenyans (2023, Nation)

Deaf Persons Open A Centre To Promote Use Of Kenya Sign Language. (2023, Kenya News Agency)

Govt Offices to Start Using Sign Language in New Law (2022, Kenyans)

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Braille

Feature on the Kenya Institute of Special Education's work on Braille. (2023, Star)

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Kenyan disability champion to receive global peace award Zaja “helped build a resource centre in Majengo that annually churns out more than 1,500 youth, women and persons living with disability with empowerment.” (2024, KBC)

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Overview

Short video feature on Julia Ayen a Refugee artist “proving to the world that disability is not inability” (2022, Citizen TV Kenya)

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Media

Interview with Alan Herbert “a Kenyan journalist, social inclusion advocate, and behavior change communications professional.” (2023, Disability Rights Flordia)

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Empowering Inclusive Living for All People: exploring the methodology of the 2023/2024 Kenya Housing Survey. (2024, Washington Group on Disability Statistics)

Exploring demographic and health survey data (2023, Disability Data Initiative)

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How Kenya's ICT Accessibility Standards can create more inclusive workplaces (2023, The Standard)

Report Highlights Increased Usage of Mobiles (2022, Global Accessibility News)

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We have ignored the plight of persons with disabilities (2022, Nation)

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Overview

How Finance Bill 2023 might affect persons with disabilities adversely. (2023, Nation)

What are the additional costs of living to people with disabilities? (2022, Development Pathways)

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Financial Inclusion

Financial inclusion for persons with disabilities in Kenya evidence for improving financial inclusion. (2023, Sightsavers)

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Social Protection

137,119 persons with disability to benefit from Inua Jamii cash transfer programme. (2023, The Star)

Integrated cash transfers promoting inclusion of children with disabilities in Mombasa. (2023, UNICEF)

Supporting children living with disabilities through cash transfers short video feature. (2023, UNICEF)

Social protection for disability inclusion in Kenya See also synthesis paper that compares Uganda and Kenya. (2021, Inclusive Futures)

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Raising a child with autism: Facing stigma, finding glimmers of hope. (2024, NPR)

New bill seeks to ensure children with disabilities get education “The Learners With Disabilities Bill, 2023 has undergone its first reading at the Kenyan National Assembly.” (2023, K24)

STEM Courses in Rural Kenya Open Doors for Girls With Disabilities (Short video, 2023, Voice of America)

Recommendations from a research study on inclusive education and assistive technology: “tax exemption on assistive technology would contribute to the development of education targeting learners with disabilities.” (2023, NewTimes)

Feature on ANDY's work to promote early childhood education for children with disabilities. (2023, KBC Channel)

Inclusive Early Childhood Development and Education in Kenya: what do parents, teachers and children understand, perceive and experience? (2023, Disability and the Global South)

Conversations from the field: Stakeholders’ perspectives on inclusive education in western Kenya. (2022, Canadian Journal of Disability Studies)

Task-force must address state of disability rights in schools (2022, Irungu Houghton)

Youth with disabilities decry costly learning equipment (2022, The Star)

Are ALL Our Children Learning Uwezo Learning Assessment 2021 "1 in 5 girls with disability dropped out of school due [to] Covid-19 enforced schools' closure". (2022, Usawa Agenda)

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Building resilient, green livelihoods for people with disabilities Insights from a livelihood barrier analysis in drought-affected communities in Turkana, Kenya. (2024, CBM Global)

How we navigate our careers despite disability an interview with Senior Probation Officer and Football player for Kenya Women Amputee team Caren Musungu. (2023, Business Daily)

Breaking barriers to economic independence for people with disabilities in Kenya. (2023, Light for the World International)

Platform livelihoods for youth with disabilities (2023, AllAfrica)

Bridging the Gap Between Young PWDs and Technology “The academy run by Sightsavers and partners aims to have young people with disabilities transition into formal employment at IT and telecommunications firms” (2023, The Kenya Times)

The startup giving a chance to people with disabilities Riziki Source matches members' credentials and disability with potential employers (2023, The Star)

Capability-sensitive principles for assistive technology to support young graduates with disabilities in Bangladesh and Kenya into employment. (2022, Journal of International Development)

New $6 million Inclusive Futures programme launched which "aims to increase the inclusion of people with disabilities, particularly women, and improve labour rights at two large Kenyan companies. " (2022, Inclusive Futures)

Unemployment in women with psychosocial disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic: Lessons from Tana River County. "We found that the pandemic worsened their experiences of work and employment, and they did not receive any social welfare or support from the government." (2022, Journal of International Development)

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Women with disability in leadership profiles of women with disabilities. (2023, Kenya Network of Women and Girls with Disabilities)

Raising the Voices of Women with Disabilities Profile of Roselyne Olewe, “a leading voice in the fight for the labour rights of persons with disabilities in Kenya.” (2023, All Africa)

Profile of Easter Achieng (2022, Inclusive Futures)

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Kenya is yet to meet the maternity needs of women with disabilities tv news report on Senate discussion of a report. (2023, KTN News)

Healthcare barriers that women with disabilities face (2023, Nation)

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Rest in Power Hon. Godliver Omondi, Former Senator and sitting Member of the County Assembly. (2023, Kenya Network of Women and Girls with Disabilities)

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Gap Analysis on Disability Inclusive Humanitarian Action in Eastern Africa “While some organisations are making efforts to include the inclusion of persons with disabilities in their programming, challenges remain, such as a lack of inclusion of the insights of persons with disabilities, insufficient disaggregation of data and inadequate budget allocation.” (2023, CBM UK)

Supporting people with disabilities affected by the Kenya food crisis. (2022, QAV Global)

Profile of Racheal Njiru and her work as a project manager at Kakuma refugee camp. (2022, Inclusive Futures)

Stories from the Kenya Drought see also the second and third stories. (2022, CBM UK)

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Empowering Voices: Advocating for indigenous people with disabilities worldwide, a submission to the UN. Focused on case studies from Kenya, Brazil, Nepal and Bangladesh:

“Persons with disabilities within indigenous communities experience disproportionate disadvantages because of the intersectional discrimination they face on account of multiple axes of oppression. Many disability activists from indigenous communities stress the importance of analyzing the historical context and its ongoing impacts, specifically slavery and colonialism. Within indigenous communities, disability cannot be extricated and analyzed outside the context of psychosocial disabilities and intergenerational trauma caused by colonial violence and oppression.” (2024, Minority Rights Group)

Eviction, flooding and disability in Baringo County (2023, Minority and Indigenous Trends 2023)

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Southern NGO perspectives on collaboration and what it means for international NGOs. (2023, Breaking Down Barriers)

Myth busting: a film made by Kenya OPDs (2022, i2i)

Short video on participation in development projects Inclusivity in Kenya Meru Inclusive Trachoma (MINT) Programme (2022, CBM Global)

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Tears Behind the Smile: 27 Years of Being Blind. Mugami Paul with a poetic retrospective:

“For 27 years, the dark's been my guide,
A world unseen, but felt inside.
I’ve learned to hear what eyes don’t find,
To trust in touch, in voice, in mind.” (2024)

How Baringo mum bounced back after losing both arms Gladys Chepyegon, a 35-year-old mother of three, runs a greengrocer’s in Kabarnet town. (2023, Nation)

Top 40 Under 40: feature on Patricia Mativo. (2023, BDO)

SARAH, a short movie “The story is centered on the life of Sarah who is a pregnant woman with disability. She is unable to access health services in time because of stigmatization and discrimination she faces.” (2022, DAYO Kenya)

Feature on Eve Kibare's story focussing on managing periods as a visually impaired woman. (2022, Mummy Tales)

Open letter to Kenyan Disability league leaders: “When will you rise to the occasion?” Argues that so far progress has been “low-hanging fruit” and ”having a few of persons with disabilities in to the system but not yet more robust gains for the Kenyans with disabilities.” (2022, Mugami Paul)

Citizen Reporting series features small business owner's COVID-19 story (2022, Inclusive Futures)

Kenyan activist Ashura Michael fights for disability and gender rights (short interview, no transcript, 2022, BBC)

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‘They said my bipolar was a curse from God for leaving priesthood’ (2024, Nation)

Kenya’s troubled 60-year mental health journey from colonial institutions and laws to those making change today. (2023, The Nation)

Alienation in three parts: mental health in Kenyan women activists (2022, ROAPE)

Kenya Mental Health Investment Case 2021 Providing Evidence for the Long-Term Health, Social and Economic Benefits of Investment in Mental Health.

“Kenya has a standalone mental health policy, and efforts to review the outdated mental health act are on-going. [But] Mental health services are scarce and inaccessible, the mental health workforce is limited, and budgetary allocation to mental health is inadequate.” (2022, Ministry of Health)

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Overview

Kenyan ride-hailing company helps people with disabilities get mobile. (2024, Africanews)

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Air Travel

Kenya Airways Celebrates Inclusion by welcoming its first cabin crew member with albinism. (2024, The Kenya Times) See also a video feature from Kenya Airways.

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Good laws have not translated into better life for persons with disabilities. Reflections on the African Disability Protocol and the gap between legislation and realization:

“Examples are rife across the continent. Inaccessible buildings; inaccessible public transport, children with disabilities missing out on quality inclusive education, women and girls with disabilities facing violence in their communities; less opportunities to work and employment in the open labour market; inaccessible voting processes; less involvement in public and political spaces are among many other ways that people with disabilities have been pushed to the margins in their own communities. This is inspite of laws that are said to be progressive and inclusive.” (2024, Elizabeth Ombati)

Shackling of mentally ill people is unacceptable and must be stopped (2023, The Standard)

Disability-Inclusive Education and Employment: Understanding the Context (2023, Mastercard Foundation)

The state of disability inclusion in Kenya: An analysis of the past 60 years. (2023)

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What Protesters of Finance Bill did in Parliament narrated by Visually Impaired Senator Crystal Asige. (2024, Kenya News Channel)

Kenya Disability Parliamentary Association Meets Speaker “Hon. Wanyonyi reiterated his unwavering commitment to ensuring that PLWDs have a voice in the Kenyan Parliament. This will not only grant them a seat at the decision making table but also enable them to actively participate in Parliamentary debates and proceedings.” (2023, Parliament of Kenya)

How Visually Impaired Kenyans Will Cast Their Votes (2022, Kenyans.co.ke)

Blind Kenyan singer goes to court over rejected presidential candidacy. “A gospel singer who wants to be Kenya’s first disabled presidential candidate has brought a case in the country’s courts after being barred from the electoral race.” (2022, the Guardian)

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Experiences of Women and Girls with Disabilities around Gender Based Violence and Sexual Reproductive Health Rights. Surveys show women and girls with disabilities having faced a form of violence and that “the perpetrators of these heinous acts are mostly people known to the victims.” (2022, Kenya Network of Women and Girls with Disabilities)

Interventions around Menstrual Health and Hygiene Must Be Inclusive of Women and Girls with Disabilities:

“The most rarely spoken about is how menstrual product manufacturers overlook consumers with disabilities. Most sanitary pads, tampons, or menstrual cups are not a better fit for women and girls who use assistive devices or have no limbs (hands and/or legs).

For women and girls who use prosthesis legs, wheelchairs, calipers, or crutches, the sanitary pad cannot be properly kept in place, which in the process causes leakage or even worse falls off during movement. Those without hands or fingers also find it difficult to tear the packet and insert the sanitary pad into their panty or insert the tampon or menstrual cup correctly.

Availability and high cost of menstrual products pauses a challenge to women and girls with disabilities in the rural areas causing them to opt for alternative solutions such as using rags, leaves, animal skins, and even cow dung that exposes them to multiple infections.” (2022, Kenya Network of Women and Girls with Disabilities)

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Time to open up the game Golf For the Disabled (G4D) Tour held in Africa for the first time. (2024, The Star)

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Killing children with disabilities a collective stain (2022, Nation)

Forced to Beg: a video feature on disabled children trafficked from Tanzania and made to beg in Kenya. One of the alleged ringleaders is a disabled guy himself. Distressing images. (2022, BBC)

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Menstrual struggles girls and women living with disability face. “The only safe place is home, where I can sit on a plastic chair while changing.” (2023, Nation)

The menstruation experiences of women and girls with disability in Kenya. Details from lived experience and policy. (2022, Mummy Tales)

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