New dawn as disabled also lead

In August 1921, a young American politician was struck by polio. At 39, his political ambitions seemed crushed. But 12 years later, Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) was inaugurated as the 32nd President of the United States.  The ‘Wheelchair President’, FDR led the most powerful nation through two grievous crises: The Great Depression and the Second World War. His story is laced with personal hardships. For instance, after acquiring leg braces that didn’t fit, he trained to walk with them heavy on his frail legs under his pants to conceal his disability during campaigns, and designed his wheelchair to easily move through doors and corridors.

A century on, even with global efforts on inclusion, the situation is even tougher for persons with disabilities (PWDs) seeking elective office in developing nations. PWDs experience a myriad challenges on the campaign trail—from physical and information accessibility challenges to attitudinal barriers. On budgets, this endeavour is quite beyond the reach of many PWDs, who are statistically disproportionately affected by unemployment and poverty.

Campaigns quite expensive

In Kenya, like many other democracies, campaigns are quite expensive. A 2021 study by the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy, “The cost of politics in Kenya”, put the cost of running for an elective seat at Sh39 million (senator), Sh27.1 million (Woman Rep), Sh24.6 million (Member of the National Assembly) and Sh2.9 million (Member of the County Assembly)—mostly transport and publicity.

About 600 candidates with disabilities vied in the recent general election. Seven were successful: Martin Wanyonyi (MP, Webuye East), Tim Wanyonyi (MP, Westlands), Rose Museo (Woman Rep, Makueni), Joseph Samal (MP, Isiolo North), Aden Ibrahim (MCA, Batalu, Wajir), Andrew Omwende (MCA, Sigomere, Siaya) and Josphat Kinyanjui (MCA, Lari Kirenga, Kiambu).

This feat is not mere kismet. Over the years, Kenya has made huge progress on the rights of special interest groups, including women, youth and PWDs. The Constitution assigns nominated seats by political parties for special interest groups in the National Assembly, Senate and county assemblies. That has played a huge role in enhancing representation in politics for PWD. An example is Martin Wanyonyi Pepela, a nominated MCA in 2013  who is now the first person with albinism to be elected to the Kenyan Parliament.

Women governors

Also, despite the stereotypes against female politicians, the number of women governors rose from zero in 2013 to three in 2017 and now seven. This is a 15 per cent representation in the Council of Governors—from a meagre four per cent following the 2019 death of then-Bomet Governor Joyce Laboso.

This did not happen in a day but through a series of sustained advocacy. And the same could be argued about candidates with disabilities. Outgoing nominated senators, MPs and MCAs with disabilities, and the strong push for PWDs and their organisations to be included in our electoral process, has resulted in them not settling for only casting their votes but also being on the ballot as worthy candidates.

A 2021 United Kingdom study by Dr Stefanie Reher, “How do voters perceive disabled candidates”, published in the Frontiers in Political Science journal shows several relationships between voters’ attitudes and a candidate with disability: “The rarity with which we encounter disabled politicians implies that an impairment is likely to be a characteristic that stands out for voters.” The voter will largely rely on cognitive shortcuts in determining whether to support them or not. If the biases are negative, the candidate will be viewed as incompetent and weak. That explains Roosevelt’s decision to hide his disability.

However, there are instances of the electorate ignoring such stereotypes, looking beyond disability and engaging in a political contest of ideas. Independent MCA-elect Kinyanjui narrated how his competitors despised him, telling him to wait for nomination, or a job when ‘they’ won. Tim Wanyonyi has successfully defended his parliamentary seat thrice. In last month’s elections, he won in all the five wards, garnering triple the number of votes as his closest opponent. Earlier, when he expressed his interest to be the governor of Nairobi, opinion polls placed him as the most favourable choice for city residents.

Candidates with disabilities

The study shows candidates with disabilities are also perceived by the public as more compassionate, hardworking and honest than the non-disabled. They are also viewed as closer to issues related to healthcare spending, poverty, unemployment, minority rights and social security rights due to their lived experiences. This, if accompanied by continuous disability mainstreaming sensitisation to the public, presents a fertile ground for candidates with disabilities to thrive in our politics.

I long for the day when the political playing field will have been levelled for all of us, having done away with affirmative action as we will no longer be judged by our looks but—in the words of Dr Martin Luther King Jr—the content of our character.

Mr Hassan is CEO, National Council for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD). [email protected].