KCB Foundation Unlocks Opportunities For PWDs
KCB Foundation Unlocks Opportunities For PWDs
The lack of access to special facilities and support that this group needs further compounds their unique problems, even for those who live in urban areas where these facilities are supposedly more available.
It is even harder for those residing in informal settlements. The situation is precarious for this demographic.
We meet up with Michael Kimeu to learn how he navigates life as a person living with disability in Nairobi. Our meeting point is at the iconic Kencom bus stage in the CBD.
Kencom stage is known for its bustling activity, with buses jostling for the limited parking space as touts battle to woo the multitude of passengers waiting to transit to their various destinations.
On an ordinary day, the bus stage is a challenge to navigate, even for able-bodied people. But for some, like Mike, as he prefers to be called, the challenge of navigating the Kencom area is many times more complex due to his state.
Every morning, Michael navigates his way to the CBD and into Kencom House, which lends its name to the bus stage.
Watching him navigate his electronic wheelchair through the chaos of the Kencom bus stage area and eventually into the calmness of ‘Wing A of Kencom House’, where he works at KCB Bank as an intern, one is awed by the ease of his movement and the confidence he enthuses.
“Hii nimezoea (I am used to this),” he says in his typical soft and ever-smiling demeanor, referring to his ability to deftly navigate through the hubbub of the Nairobi CBD with ease.
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
Born with a disability, Mike sat his Kenya Certificate of Primary Education in 2016 at the Masaku School for the Physically Challenged, where he undertook his primary education.
“My primary education was relatively smooth. The school I was in was purely designed to accommodate students with physical limitations. I enjoyed it,” he says.
But as fate would have it, after KCPE, his family ran into financial headwinds and was unable to raise funds for him to proceed with his secondary school education.
“Unfortunately, my father got involved in a road accident while I was sitting my KCPE exams,” Mike recounts.
“His medical bills made it hard for my family to send me to school. There weren’t many resources available, most of it went into treating him.”
Fortunately, his former principal came to his rescue and advised his parents to seek help from the KCB Foundation, which was recruiting students for their scholarship program.
He promptly applied and was successful, joining Kathonzweni Boys’ High School in 2017. The scholarship from KCBF covered school fees and upkeep, including mentorship and psychosocial support.
However, Kathonzweni Boys’ High School was not designed to accommodate students with physical limitations.
“It was my desire to join a school for able-bodied students so I could interact with normally abled students and explore the diversity of interacting with them in a normal school setting,” he says.
To accommodate Mike and make his learning experience less challenging, the then-principal redesigned the facilities to fit his needs. This had a profound effect on his schooling and contributed to his exceptional results after sitting his KCSE exam.
KCB Foundation Unlocks Opportunities For PWDs
