Joys as children get wheelchairs in ‘niko-fiti’ drive from Kenya Reinsurance, The Standard Group

By LONAH KIBET

KENYA: Twenty children in Ruiru on Thursday benefited from specialised wheelchairs in a campaign sponsored by The Standard Group, Kenya Reinsurance (Kenya Re) and Association of Persons with Physical Disabilities.

Parents of the physically challenged children could not hide their joy as they were presented with the wheel chairs.

Jane Wanjiru, 45, a housewife, with a 23-year-old physically challenged daughter called on other parents to avoid hiding their physically challenged children because of fear of being perceived negatively by society.

Several families will benefit from assistive and support devices meant for the physically challenged through the “Niko Fiti” campaign.

A total of 100 crutches, walking frames, wheel chairs and tricycles will be distributed to different people and children living with disabilities in Ruiru, Nyeri, Embu and Meru in the two-day campaign as part of the first phase in a three-phased nationwide caravan.

During the flagging-off ceremony Thursday in their offices, Kenya Re Managing Director Jadiah Mwania called on the society to participate actively in supporting those facing the challenges and not to discriminate against them. “Assisting those affected by different types of disabilities should be a collective responsibility for the whole society,” said Mr Mwania.

Also Present at the ceremony was Standard Group’s Broadcast Services Managing Director Joe Munene and Business Development and Innovation Director Francis Munywoki standing in for the Group CEO Sam Shollei.