Clara Chepkoech: Amputee who overcame stigma to become handball coach
What you need to know:
- Clara Chepkoech lost her right hand in an accident just a month before her 2012 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination.
- That changed her life forever, initially struggling with stigma before finally accepting her new reality.
- She urges society to give PWDs a chance to show their capabilities.
Clara Chepkoech was involved in an accident just a month before she sat her 2012 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination.
However, that unfortunate incident did not deter her from excelling and becoming a teacher, besides pursuing her dream of becoming a professional handball coach and referee.
Hers is a classic case of how determination and passion can overcome physical disability.
When we arrive for an interview with Clara, she is donning her official referee uniform, with a whistle tightly held in her left hand. She is pacing up and down officiating a handball match between Maliki Boys and Nabunga secondary schools at the Kapsabet showgrounds in Nandi County.
Being a semi-final, it is a tight match and one has to be fit to keep up with the speed of the aggressive teenage boys.
Clara Chepkoech officiates a handball match at Kapsabet Showground in Nandi County.
“I normally work out, sometimes I go to a gym. I also run a lot to ensure I am fit.” Clara says.
For the 34-year-old, sports flow in her family. “My mother was a career netball player and my dad was an athlete.”
She took up handball from her primary school days at Alpha-Omega Academy in Kericho through high school, and decided to take up refereeing and coaching after she lost her arm in an accident.
“There was a teachers' strike in 2012 when I was in Form Four. The school was closed, so on my way home we got involved in an accident in Kisumu.”
Clara vividly recalls the events that followed. Her right hand was later amputated, changing her life forever as she struggled with stigma before finally accepting her new reality.
“Initially, I used to feel shy exposing my hand that was affected. But I have accepted the situation and I have learned how to live with it.”
Clara, a Kiswahili and Christian Religious Education teacher at Cheptabach Secondary School, doubles as a handball coach for the school.
“When my students see me running and even scoring goals, they feel so happy. Some of them usually come to me and say if madam can do this, then we should also manage. That inspires me a lot.”
Currently a nationally accredited handball referee and an executive member of the Kenya Secondary School’s Sports Association, Clara says her rise to the top has not been easy as many people doubted her ability based on her condition.
“There are people who strongly believed that I could not officiate as a referee. But after seeing me do the work well, they build trust and confidence in me,” says Clara.
“I enjoy what I do. Don’t you see it's raining, but I am still working?”
The second born in a family of six says there was a time she felt so discouraged and almost quit refereeing, but encouragement from colleagues and family support kept her going.
“The truth is anyone can develop some form of disability at any time. I was not born like this. But nowadays, I no longer focus on the state of my disabled hand. We were trained to focus on the positives and other strengths that we have. My strength is in playing handball and officiating as a referee.”
She says some people used to sympathise with her, often asking how she coped, something that made her feel sorry about her situation. Clara says she could calmly and confidently answer them.
“When those doubting my abilities start seeing how confident I am, in return they start liking me as well.”
Clara says she did not view disability as an obstacle to achieving her dream. She hopes to take part in the Kenya Women’s Football Amputee team that will represent the country in Columbia in November.
Her current dream is to become an internationally accredited referee. She says she has benefitted a lot through officiating.
“Besides being paid, I have made a lot of connections with different people who can support me in different ways whenever a need arises.” Clara says.
“I will be so glad to go and officiate as a referee on an international arena. That way, the world will know that even persons living with disabilities (PWDs) can be of great value.”
But for her to continue being relevant in her career as a referee, she enrolls for refresher courses.
“Every year, we go for training just to keep ourselves updated on the current trends. There could be changes in which one has to be versed.”
Besides handball, Clara engages in other sporting activities that feature PWDs. She urges society to give PWDs a chance to show their capabilities.
