Vihiga disabled yearn for special colleges, empowerment kitty

Samuel Nderetera, 63, has been stuck at home since he was born, relying on relatives for support.

He wishes he had a better lifestyle, but regrets that he lacks the means to change his life.

He cannot walk, leaving him confined to his home in Wemilabi, Luanda, Vihiga County.

His disability means that he is dependent on others almost 100 percent.

Even at 63, he still yearns for college training.

Several kilometres away in Central Maragoli, Vihiga sub-county, Aggrey Ogova lives in a similar ordeal.

Unable to walk and fend for himself, he largely depends on others after his small business collapsed.

The two men share the same story - a disability that hindered their movement and deprived them of their livelihood.

Like many other people with disabilities in Vihiga, the two wish for a special empowerment kitty for the vulnerable group that could make their lives better.

“We have been forgotten for a long time. Some of us went to school while others never had the opportunity,” Mr Nderetera says.

While a law exists requiring public buildings to be accessible to people with disabilities, he laments that those in Vihiga cannot get into most government offices as movement in the storey buildings is difficult for the physically challenged.

He accuses builders of being inconsiderate.

“They should look into this. The offices are not friendly to us. We are unable to get into most of the offices because we cannot use stairs,” he says.

While Mr Nderetera calls for the establishment of special colleges to offer training for those with disabilities, Mr Ogova wants local officials to set up an empowerment kitty that can offer them soft loans to revive their businesses swept away by the Covid-19 pandemic.

700 disabled people

The two were among 700 disabled people who received wheelchairs from the county government recently through a partnership with Bethamy Kids.

Mr Nderetera, Mr Ogova and Linet Amume welcomed the donations with joy, as they can now move around more easily.

“I am happy because they are enabling us to move around. We had been forgotten for long,” says Mr Nderetera, adding that more could be done to help people like him.

“Some of us hold secondary school certificates. We need colleges to enable people living with disabilities to further their education.”

While there is an empowerment fund that issues loans to various groups, Mr Ogova feels there should be one specifically for the disabled only.

“In my case, I had a business that collapsed. If we had this kitty, I would have applied for a soft loan to bring my business back to life,” he says.

The county government says it wishes to do more for people with disabilities but they need to organise themselves into groups to champion their welfare.

The administration, says Gender Chief Officer Philip Gavuna, is registering people with disabilities and that will provide clearer data on their population. A board will also be set up in line with the Persons Living with Disabilities Act.

“We call on more people living with disabilities to reach out to us so that we can have the data in place. They have been forgotten for long,” says Mr Gavuna, who supervised the wheelchair donation drive.

Some 700 wheelchairs have been given out based on a recent survey but Mr Gavuna notes that many more remain unreached and hence the need to register vulnerable groups.

“We have a PWD Act that provides for the establishment of a board that will address issues of the PWDs. Vihiga does not have groups for the disabled,” he says.

“We are also trying to help them form the groups so that we get representatives who will be named to the board. We want to stand with the physically challenged.”

The wheelchairs are expected to help the disabled move around and ease pressure on their caregivers.

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