Media and Disability in Kenya

Abstract

Persons with disabilities (PWD) in Kenya become involved with the media for a wide range of reasons, including as reporters or activists challenging attitudes, practices, and policies, and to urge for a better representation of themselves and of their experiences. They may also be presented as newsmakers, such as in the case of the award-winning Kenyan athlete, Henry Wanyoike, who has won numerous medals despite his visual disability. In spite of these presences, media in Kenya have a long way to go in order to represent persons with disability in their completeness. Most media present persons with disabilities as objects of pity whose accomplishments must be held in awe. Yet the industry can play a central role in attitude and policy change at household, community, and national levels. In this article, we will consider ways in which media in Kenya can play a positive role in bringing to the fore disability issues, facilitating pro-disability behaviour, and ensuring the implementation of policies that protect the rights of people with disabilities.

Lived experiences of caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder in Kenya

“…This initiative has been difficult to implement in Africa because of the lack of resources, poor advocacy, inadequate collaborative efforts and ineffective strategies (World Health Organization 2013b). In Kenya, as in other developing African nations, developmental disorders such as ASD have attracted little attention from the government and other stakeholders regarding establishing support services for individuals with ASD (Njogu 2009; Republic of Kenya 2009). Bayat (2014) suggests that there is a general lack of literature on the needs of African children with disabilities or the views of Africans towards disabilities.…”

“…Service provision and resource allocation in English-speaking developed countries is also much more advanced than those in the Global South. These discrepancies have hampered efforts to address ASD-related needs and service provision in countries like Kenya (Njogu 2009; Republic of Kenya 2009). There is also a need to develop advanced diagnostic and reporting systems before meaningful data on the rising prevalence of ASD (American Psychiatric Association 2013; Matson & Kozlowski 2011) in the region could be captured.…”

An assessment of gender differences in the operational efficiency of businesses run by persons with disabilities

“…RAMJ 13,2 Gathecha (2009) points out emotional and psychological problems encountered by PWDs and she expresses her anguish over the fact that disabled women find it tough to find a life partner. Njogu (2009) has placed on record, his disappointment with Kenyan media for portraying PWDs as pitiable, which is rather disgraceful.…”