Working despite disability

He is blind... but that does not mean Gedion Kipchumba, 27, cannot give you the assistance you need at the High Court registry at Milimani Law Courts.

Using his computer or work knowledge, he is not much different from your typical court assistant.

He can feed data into Excel sheets, including daily court returns and the e-diary for judicial officers.

He can retrieve data for court users on next court dates, and other tasks. It is a job he has been doing at the civil registry since July 2016.
TRICKY

“Sometimes people dismiss me jokingly, saying some tasks will be tricky for me. But within seconds I prove them wrong,” he says.

Then there is Miriam Wawira, 31, who serves customers that contact the Safaricom service desk despite the fact that she does not have hands. She uses her feet to operate her computer and other gadgets and her desk has been adjusted to be at the same level as her seat.

The impairment has not been an impediment ever since she was born. In fact, one of her talents is knitting — a skill she was taught by her mother. “I know my condition is irreversible. So I’ve learnt to work with what I have,” she says.

Mr Kipchumba and Ms Wawira, who were both born with disabilities, will today be among many across the globe under special focus as the world marks the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

It is a day set aside “to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society and development”, according to the United Nations, the custodian of the day. The day has been marked on December 3 since 1992.

In Kenya, there will be commemorative events in every county headquarters of the National Council of Persons with Disabilities, according to the organisation’s chairman David ole Sankok.

JOB

“Then on December 7, we will celebrate in Laikipia,” Dr Sankok told the Sunday Nation on Friday. He said there are many remarkable things about employees with disabilities once they are comfortable at their places of work.

“They are among the best workers because job retention is almost 100 per cent. They don’t loiter around once they’ve been given a job,” he said.

Mr Kipchumba’s blindness followed a complication at birth.

He had his primary and secondary school education in Thika before enrolling for a diploma in law at the now defunct International University of Professional Studies.

He is now studying for a Bachelor of Law degree at the University of London through online correspondence. A friend informed him about vacancies in the Judiciary and he gave it a try.

Were his interviewers shocked to realise he was blind? We ask. “Probably yes; because of those guts and that zeal. Because it’s unusual,” he answers, adding that the interview lasted about three minutes and that he was hired on merit.

SMARTPHONE

“I applied just like any other Kenyan, knowing that I have sufficient qualifications to be awarded the job; though I knew it was a very competitive process,” he adds. After completing the day’s work, he stays late in the office to study using his office computer. “I see myself having a doctorate in law from a reputable institution,” he says.

Mr Kipchumba appears to be following the path of lawyer and activist Lawrence Mute, a one time a commissioner with the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights.

At his house, he usually prepares meals by himself. He can also make and receive calls using a voice application on his smartphone.

When he is not in a hurry, he can navigate his way to and from the bus stop.

Ms Wawira’s office is at Safaricom customer care centre on Mombasa Road. She has an assistant, Hellen, who helps her carry out some tasks, besides ensuring that she boards the company vehicle to and from work.