For years, Josephine Mwende faced everyday existential dilemmas that most people didn't have to bother about.
Which road should she take to avoid having to navigate uneven pavements? Does the building she is supposed to visit for an interview have a functional ramp? Like others, would this potential employer too reject her despite her qualifications?
Born with a physical disability that limits her mobility, the 34-year-old from Kenya's Machakos County had become used to the frustration of fighting for fundamental inclusion.
Then came May 8, and she felt something she hadn’t in a long time: hope.
When President William Ruto signed the Persons with Disabilities Bill 2025 into law that day, Josephine wasn’t the only one who rejoiced at the prospect of her rights being acknowledged. Countless others across the East African nation may have felt they belong.
"This law is more than just words on paper; it's a lifeline," Josephine tells TRT Afrika, her voice choking with emotion. "For the first time, I feel like Kenya sees and hears me."
The new law, described by President Ruto as a "progressive piece of legislation", marks a historic shift in Kenya's approach to disability rights by replacing the Persons with Disabilities Act, Cap. 133, with a set of mandates that enshrine a rights-based framework spanning education, employment, healthcare and civic participation.
Equal opportunities
Sponsored by Kenya's first visually impaired senator, Senator Crystal Asige, the bill underwent at least two years of rigorous legislative scrutiny before its final approval.
Asige, a fierce disability rights advocate, celebrated the milestone by urging Kenyans to familiarise themselves with the provisions.
"Inclusion in Kenya is no longer an option," Asige declared on X after the bill’s passage into law.
"Schools must now provide accessible learning materials, media houses must include sign language interpretation, and courts should provide sign-language interpreters plus Braille materials to ensure people with disabilities can access justice."
The law also stipulates more inclusive voting and civic participation, with electoral bodies mandated to arrange assistive devices and polling stations that provide ease of access.
This visually impaired lawmaker inspires people living with disability to turn their scars into success stories.
David Omondi, a wheelchair user from Kisumu, knows what it feels like to lose out on employment opportunities because workplaces lacked ramps.
"I have had prospective employers tell me, 'We don't have facilities for people like you'. Now, the law says they must make reasonable arrangements. It's not charity; it's our right," he says.
The reforms also address other systemic exclusions. Housing developers are required to incorporate disability-friendly features into building plans, while public transport operators must make their services easily accessible for all.
Market stalls will reserve at least 5% of spaces for traders with disabilities, and assistive devices like wheelchairs and hearing aids will be tax-exempt.
For parents like Grace Wafula, whose son has autism, the educational provisions are a godsend.
"My boy was once sent home from school because they couldn't handle him, or so they said," she recalls. "Now, schools must adapt. No child should be left behind."
Question of execution
Critics question whether the law will translate into tangible change, citing instances of previous disability rights measures suffering from inadequate enforcement.
This time, the legislation incorporates strict penalties for violations and empowers a revitalised National Council for Persons with Disabilities to investigate complaints and ensure compliance.
President Ruto acknowledges the challenges, though.
"The real work now begins," he stated during the signing ceremony where he announced the reinstatement of the Disability Mainstreaming Performance Indicator in government performance contracts to ensure that inclusivity is measurable.
Zipporah Ongera was born with one full arm. She has gone ahead to live her life to the fullest.
Collective responsibility
While the government bears the primary duty of implementation, advocates of laws to safeguard the rights of people living with disabilities stress that businesses, media and ordinary citizens must also play their part.
"Laws alone won't change attitudes," says Evelyn Ooro, a disability rights activist. "We need a mindset shift – to see disability not as a limitation, but as part of human diversity."
For Mwende, the law's enactment marks the starting point of how she wants to be treated.
"I dream of a day when children born with disabilities won't have to fight the battles I have done all my life," she tells TRT Afrika. "That dream feels closer than ever."
The message is clear: the rights of people with disabilities are no longer negotiable.
