KENYA: I'm Breaking Disability Barriers

From growing up with a disability in a rural community to becoming an award-winning advocate, Jemimah Kutata defies societal barriers and transforms lives in Kenya. 

“Disability is a club that anyone can join at any time. My motto as a woman with a disability is: I am loud, proud, and passionate!” –Jemimah Kutata

I'm a woman with a disability who walks with elbow crutches and a leg brace. I come from a marginalized community called the Maasai people, who don’t believe in educating girls. Being a girl with a disability from that community made me a triple tragedy.

I was a healthy child until age 5 when my parents took me to the hospital for a cough. After the doctor hit my sensory nerves while giving me an injection, I could not walk or play with other children. Later, I could not collect firewood or fetch water like the teenage girls.

Life was unbearable because we did not have physiotherapists and doctors who understood different disabilities. Living in a rural, remote area, many children with disabilities died. My family put up a parallel wooden bar for me to use. In the morning and evening, they massaged me with animal fat warmed by firewood to stimulate my muscles. I dreamed of getting assistive devices. 

I strongly desired to attend school, so whenever the boys returned home, I would ask them to teach me what they had learned. Since I, as a girl child, wasn't allowed to have a book, I would write down the lessons on the soil. As the years passed, I gradually became proficient in English and learned to write my name. 

One day, a World Vision officer passed by our home and noticed my intelligence, despite my physical disability that prevented me from walking. The officer urged my parents to send me to a boarding school far from our home. Given our family's status as peasant farmers, finding an organization to cover my school fees felt like a miracle.

School life was not easy for me, as I was the only student with a disability. Some students mistakenly believed that I was sick, while others chose not to associate with me out of fear that they might also acquire a disability. I decided to transform these challenges into opportunities. While my peers were waking up at 6 a.m., I made it a point to rise at 4 a.m. This allowed me to shower in a dry bathroom before it became wet and gave me extra time to study. 

As a result, I gained favor with my teachers, and my academic performance excelled, ultimately leading to my appointment as a class prefect. This accomplishment served as a great source of motivation for me. But unfortunately, fee issues frequently disrupted my education, causing me to be in and out of school. World Vision paid the admission and first-term school fees, and the Christian Children Fund of Australia supported me for two years before the funding ended.

I took the knowledge and skills I had acquired home, having learned about the dangers of female genital mutilation. In 1993, I became the first woman with a disability to fight FGM. Our home served as a rescue center for girls with disabilities who could not escape the threat. Despite my own disability, I possess a strong passion for transforming lives. I took a community development and social work course and am still pursuing a degree in development studies to help me serve the community well. 

In 2005, I recognized that women and girls with disabilities face similar challenges, and I founded a group that eventually grew into a community-based organization called Mona Disabled Women. Mona means together, with Mo standing for Mombasa and representing coastal members and Na standing for Nairobi and representing upcountry members. We train girls on their basic human rights, sexual and reproductive health, and economic empowerment to enable them to be independent. Additionally, we mentor champions who advocate for the rights of women, girls, and children with disabilities.

In 2016, Mobility International USA (MIUSA) recognized my work with women in rural and remote areas. They sponsored me for a three-week women's leadership training program in Eugene, Oregon. Additionally, in December of that year, with the support of Christoffel Blindenmission from Germany, I launched a book on inclusion called Inclusion Counts at the European Parliament.

I am an award-winning disability rights advocate and transformative leader specializing in diversity and inclusion. I am passionate about promoting sex and reproductive health and addressing gender-based violence faced by women living in rural and remote areas.

I dream of seeing a barrier-free society for all women, especially those with disabilities. Disability and poverty walk hand in hand, and women and girls with disabilities are at the bottom of the development pyramid. I dream of getting partners to join me in changing the lives of women and girls with disabilities in Kenya. Together, we can achieve this by focusing on capacity building, ensuring their fundamental human rights are upheld, fostering economic and political empowerment, and providing adequate housing, as many currently reside in slums.

Disability is a club that anyone can join at any time. My motto as a woman with a disability is: I am loud, proud, and passionate!

STORY AWARDS

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