When we talk of disability, not everybody can look at it as an opportunity. The society we live in assumes having an impairment is a weakness and a liability to the company. The term disability simply means, any condition of the body or mind that makes it more difficult for the person with the condition to do certain activities and interact with the world around them.

I have a physical disability. I am fortunate enough to work for a Disabled Persons Organization. This gives me a platform to experience and work with my fellow persons with disabilities and those without disability.

As a youth and having experienced the hustle and bustle of job seeking, I feel I got the gist of what my fellow job s

In terms of employment and participation on the labor market, persons with disabilities are an underemployed group of the workforce. In countries with civil rights legislation, unemployment rates are approximately twice what they are for persons without disabilities and it can be assumed that the rates are even worse in countries without such laws. It is therefore imperative that deliberate steps are taken to ensure absorption of this group of persons in to the workforce.

Persons with disabilities are frequently not considered potential members of the workforce. Perception, fear, myth and prejudice continue to limit understanding and acceptance of disability in work places everywhere, myths abound including that persons with disabilities are unable to work and that accommodating a person with disability in the work place is expensive. Contrary t

At the height of the interest capping debate in 2016, there was a directive from the Central Bank of Kenya that banks should allocate at least 20% of their finances to growing small businesses, or precisely SME lending. The directive came about after it was discovered that banks were not lending to small businesses since they deemed them risky borrowers. Of course, banks were furious with the law that placed the maximum lending rate at 4%. Before the capping, banks could lend at a rate as high as 18% which meant loans were only accessible to blue chip companies. Small businesses were at the mercy of SACCOs and digital lending apps who had minimal requ

In mid-2020, Black Lives Matter protests heightened in intensity after the death of George Floyd in the US. The protests became evidence of Black marginalization across the world and the struggle to be seen equally on the basis of being a human being rather than a person with a different complexion. The protests also became a wakeup call to the modern-day corporates to come up with strategies to address racial inequality on the long-term basis, since the many times companies had been caught being complacent in social evils eroded their credibility to their customers. This time corporations were in it for the long haul. The effect of this has been Bla

One of the biggest challenges Person With Disabilities(PWDs) face is transport and mobility. The challenges may range from negative attitudes from PSV operators, hiked charges or the excuse of no boot to load a wheelchair once a PWD is in the vehicle. Sometimes the PSV might not be patient enough to help you get in the vehicle or even disembark once you get to your destination. Airlines too have been on the receiving end with a prominent local airline being called out because of its impatient pilot who scolded a PWD for taking time to board the flight. Had it not been for the online outcry and the PR nightmare it caused to its brand as

Following persistent public outcry on the high cost of electricity, President Kenyatta in addition to the Cabinet reshuffle that saw Amb. Monica Juma became the Energy CS, ordered an investigation that found out that the high cost of electricity was because of Independent Power Producers that were charging high cost of units sold to KPLC after which KPLC passed the cost to Kenyans. Since the names of the IPPs were kept secret, one of the recommendations was to disclose the names of the beneficiaries of the power purchasing agreements between the KPLC and the IPPs.

At the 2022 Oscar Awards, the Best Motion Picture movie was a disability centered film known as Child of Deaf Adults (CODA) by Apple TV. The film tells the story of a girl raised by deaf parents but does not have hearing challenges. The daughter to these deaf parents struggles to pursue a career in music while at the same time helping her parents in their fishing business. After back and forth with her school and her parents, she finally gets a scholarship courtesy of the school and the workers in their fishing business take it upon themselves to learn sign language to communicate with the owners of the business better. 

Among the biggest gainers of the 2022/2023 budget as proposed by the Treasury Cabinet Secretary was the health sector with an allocation of 146 billion Kenya Shillings. In addition to these, pharmaceutical companies were tax exempted as well as consumers of medical oxygen, urine bags and adult diapers. Other gainers in the tax gift were the upcoming Konza Technopolis, Kenya’s Silicon Valley. The project under the Ministry of ICT received Ksh 5.2 billion with government ministries departments and agencies being encouraged to utilize the National Data Centre at the facility.

It is no secret that access to assistive technology is a challenge for PWDs in Kenya. Among the challenges involved is th

It is no secret that business and politics (power) are joined at the hip. In the modern world, business interests determine the direction of politics and the chart a nation takes in general. Businessmen have become politicians primarily because of their track record in their enterprises and the opposite also happens. A politician may start a business while in power due to the access to resources and sometimes their popularity in politics makes a good launchpad for a product or service. Other times businessmen try their hand in politics to create a better business environment for others, if their word during campaign season is anything to go by.

In 2020 at the height of the pandemic, the job market was hit with the Great Resignation Crisis around the world. While companies in Africa were giving voluntary retirement options to cut costs before the pandemic, people were calling it quits when they were needed the most. Most said that the pandemic made them re evaluate themselves to find a healthy balance of work and other things that are more fulfilling other than paying bills. The situation became so dire that company executives were literally begging some of its workers to stay on the job with more money and flexible working terms, and that’s how working from home is still practiced even today after Covid subsided and the rules relaxed.

About a month ago, the state of Maryland in the United States decided to drop the four-year degree requirement for government jobs in the state. In America, states can make their own laws that are applicable to the state in question except for security matters. Security matters are a preserve of the Federal Government, what we call the National Government in Kenya, and a  State in the USA is the equivalent of a County in Kenya. In its defence on why the university degree was dropped, officials said that work is essentially about innovation and productivity, and that can be achieved without a university degree. In its place, the university degree requirement will be by checking the alternative place that a person might have developed a skill from, and the alternative could be military service, learning on the job, apprenticeship or learning a skill from a community service.

Rising from a building society in the 1980’s, Equity Bank became the first bank in Kenya to hit the trillion-shilling valuation mark in Kenya. This was before Congo became part of the EAC, and the entry of Equity into Congo is expected to drive the valuation much higher. Equity also has the largest asset base in the country, and was named the fifth strongest banking brand in the world by Brand Finance with a 94% in the Brand Strength Index.

Before the 1990s, business in Kenya and much of Africa was a safe and stable affair since most big businesses were state owned and had a monopoly in their markets. Jobs were stable with huge perks and benefits as a way of retaining talent and making Africans take charge of their own economies. However, as a result of being a monopoly and being bailed out by the government when they were making losses, inefficiency was rampant and so was mismanagement since appointments to these organizations were politically based, where your allegiance to the party was mor

Modern America is essentially shaped by two men. The two, JP Morgan and John D Rockefeller, developed what would become the blueprint of ‘corporate success’ in the modern world. Though in different industries, Morgan and Rockefeller applied the same strategy to achieve growth and company dominance. They bought out small companies to become part of their big business empires. By buying out small oil distillers at the time, Rockefeller’s Standard Oil owned 90% of the oil fields in the US, with JP Morgan buying out diverse businesses such as a prominent steel manufacturing plant and the Thomas Edison electricity plant that became the be

In 2013, a directive came from the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) to maize millers to have their products fortified with some minerals to counter spreading cases of malnutrition across the country. It was argued that since ugali was the most available food to the majority of the households in Kenya, fortifying the maize flour would have a positive nutritional impact on a large group of people at once. The only challenge the country is facing now is food shortage due to erratic climatic patterns in the country and a high rate of post-harvest losses.  The

Amongst the many sports tournaments around the world, the Commonwealth Games ranks as one of the prestigious, owing to its reach of viewers and the recognition that comes with winning awards from it. When athletes want to make a comeback from a hiatus, they bounce back with winning the Commonwealth Games. Case in point is Julius Yego, who will be representing Kenya in the javelin category in the tournament taking place in Birmingham from July 28th to August 8th. The Commonwealth is a political association comprised of majorly former British Colonies and whose membership is voluntary, which enables countries like Rwanda, a former French colony to be part of the

This week, Kenyans usher a new Government. After a period filled with countless promises, the citizenry is very hopeful of those promises coming to fruition.  Like the rest of the country, there are some things I hope will

The current fuel price hike and an expected economic turmoil as a result of the pump changes signal an uphill task for the Government, as it seeks to put itself in order and sort out the issues like it promised during the campaigns. As the needs outstretch the resources available, there is bound to be an effect on the livelihoods of the people, including persons with disabilities who have for a long time, been in the cold as far as economic empowerment is concerned. 

In recent years, personalization of goods and services has taken root in society. During the beginning days of Uber, the premium service was being chauffeured around in a black Sports Utility Vehicle and aptly named Uber X. From here, personalization of basic services took shape and no longer became the preserve of the wealthy. For those that can afford, there's the option to have a personal chef if cooking is not your cup of tea. Banks have also taken the personalization game higher through executive banking and packaging insurance services with certain types of accounts.

October is the Blind Awareness Month. During this month, efforts are made to raise awareness and seek solutions to issues affecting those with visual impairment, such as reducing barriers to independent living and economic empowerment. As the quality of life keeps improving, there has been a boomerang effect of increase in the number of persons acquiring visual disabilities, owing to several factors including malnutrition and late detection of diseases like cataracts. 

Before the Kyoto Protocol in 2011, climate change was a divisive issue due to vested interests of various economic players, chief of whom were oil companies, since the use of fossil fuels was said to be one of the biggest climate polluters in the world. It did not help matters that this came on the backdrop of very serious environmental catastrophes, the biggest being the BP oil spill in 2010. Amidst the noise, Tesla, a small vehicle company started in 2003 was slowly gaining ground in the developed world despite strong opposition from oil companies. 

At just 2 years of age, Fredrick Ouko contracted polio. The disease left both of his legs permanently paralyzed, but it also left him determined to ensure that people with disabilities get equal opportunities.Today, Ouko now forty identifies with the 2.2% of his countrymen and women living with some form of disability.

“I have known nothing else save for my physical disability. And that is why I clearly understand the potential my kind possesses,”  Ouko stated, adding that 

When it comes to building a successful business, taking steps to improve the accessibility of your workplace technology infrastructure can result in significant benefits. Not only does it widen your pool of potential (and diverse) talent, but it also showcases your company’s commitment to workplace inclusion. But how do you make the case for accessibility and inclusion within your organization? 

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