Disability is a lonely world, full of regrets, tears and pain. But to this Kenyan celebrities they came out to in public to disclose with an aim of changing the narration and giving hopes.
The following celebrities came out in public to reveal that they have children living with disabilities.
KATHY KIUNA
The two most popular and influential church leaders, Allan Kiuna and Kathy Kiuna welcomed their last born son( Jeremy Kiuna ) 19 years ago.
The child was born prematurely at 6months with 1.1 KGS. He very anaemic and this promted several blood transfusion. The baby fought through all this . Kathy and Alan later found out that he had deformed limbs.
Jeremy has rose against all odds not letting his disability define him. He aspires to be deejay and a singer.
"...Keep fighting because indeed you are a winner by nature ...You mean a whole lot to us as your family. May you live long satisfied life changing life. " These were his mother's message on his 18th birthday.
ANNE NGUGI
She is currently a BBC media personality after her departure from KTN as a news anchor. Anne's story went viral after disclosing her daughter's condition.
Her teenage daughter, Angel Wanjiru has been battling with hydrocephalus. This is a condition where the head swells due to buildup of fluids in the skull.
Anne admits that her condition did weigh her down emotionally and mentally but eventually she coped. As for her daughter she has helped her overcome denial and stigmatizion.
Talking to a news reporter Anne said, "She understand she is different from other kids...As a mother, my dream is to see her strong on her own, even when I am not there.
Angel has developed thick skin over time and produced a song - Story of my life. The song talks about her journey with hydrocephalus. She also won a Founder Award in UK.
Anne Ngugi advice to parents with disabled kids is to accept the situation as it is and look for solutions to cope. She also urges them to love their child as no one will love them more than they do.
ESTHER WAHOME
Esther knew nothing about autism until the birth of her son. The gospel artist, and mother to 2 other children was crushed by this news.
" The name autism was very heavy on me, when we first got the diagnosis; it was this thing that we didn't know anything about. Before we even knew what it was we leaned on God in prayer and we got courage to go on," she said.
Her journey was rocky and she admits of considering to committ suicide due to the bad mouthing and laughs she received.
She further stated that it is a condition that can be managed, and her son now lives a normal life.
Her advice to parents like her is that things get better with time.
Esther is involved in spearheading autism awareness campaigns to encourage others by her story. Yvonne Okwara
Yvonne recently lost her brother who was deafblind almost all his life. In a previous interview, she opened up about it saying that
“In the 60s, while expectant, my mother contracted German Measles. It has no symptoms. By the time she was giving birth to her firstborn son, there were complications. Mental retardation and deafblindness started to set in. She tried everything, no door was un-knocked, multiple surgeries, consultations. She talked to every doctor in the country. All of them, including, the professors, told her they had traveled far and wide and had NEVER seen anyone like my brother. That he would not live beyond his 5th birthday. Or his 10th. Nor his 12th. Albert Okwara is still here! 50 years later! What a journey it has been.”
Adding that
“Friends have fallen along the way, those that could make the choice did so and exited our lives. Called it a curse. To the entire community! I won’t name names but he knows himself! The world of disability is a lonely one! The road has been lined with tears, pain, dashed hopes. But it has also had wonderful lessons that have made me who I am today! Let me explain, Albert is deafblind. He does not see, speak or hear.”
Sadly Albert passed away in 2018.
3. Emmy Kosgei
Female artiste Emmy Kosgei is another Kenyan celebrity who has openly talked about having a family member battling disability.
Emmy’s dad is bound to a wheelchair after his limbs were affected by polio years ago. In an earlier post, the artiste expressed her amazement at the fact that her mum overlooked her dad’s disability.
She says that
“My mum is my inspiration, I have grown to see my mum achieve much having brought us up having been married to my dad who is physically challenged. I am still amazed at how she was able to overlook my dad’s physical disabilities and marry him even with the pressure from the society and his family on what she had seen in such a man.”
