'I only need one chance' : PWDs still have a hard time landing job

Monica Jeruto, 30, at her Kapsoya home in Eldoret on March 5, 2024. She was involved in an accident in 2011. [Peter Ochieng, Standard] When Monica Jeruto completed her high school education in 2009, she was hopeful that her future would be bright since she was confident of excelling in her national examinations. When the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education results were later announced, she scored a mean grade of B. Celebrations filled the air at home and in her former secondary school - St. Monica Kitale, in Trans Nzoia County. Like many other candidates, she began her preparations to join university and applied for a science-related course at Kenyatta University. She had always been passionate about pursuing Animal Health Science, just like her grandfather, her mentor. To keep herself occupied as she waited to join college, Jeruto moved from Baringo to her aunt's place in Trans Nzoia, where she worked at a shop. But on February 14, 2011, Jeruto's life took a new turn. After she boarded a boda boda to the shop, she was involved in a road crash that left her right leg broken. "It was around 5 pm on that year's Valentine's Day. I remember seeing some lights and then a loud bang. I fell to the ground and began to bleed profusely. I suffered multiple fractures on my leg," recounts Jeruto. Jeruto says it was a hit-and-run incident, and good Samaritans took her to a nearby hospital before she was later transferred to Kitale District Hospital and then to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret. "I was informed that my right leg had been broken above the knee, on the knee, and the lower part of the leg. There was no other option than amputation," she says. After days of counseling and with immense support from her family, Jeruto, the second born in a family of seven, accepted her fate. "At first, my family had rejected the amputation idea, but doctors counselled us and explained to me that I would be able to walk again using artificial prosthetic legs," she says. Jeruto then underwent surgery to amputate her leg, and soon after, her university placement letter arrived. She had been accepted to join Kenyatta University to pursue her dream course, BSc in Animal Health Science. "I had to stay home for a while to heal before I could think about joining university. Nairobi is also far from my home, and it would be difficult for me to travel miles away to join college. Therefore, I had to defer my education for a year before later changing universities to Egerton Njoro Campus, in Nakuru," says Jeruto. In September 2012, Jeruto, now on prosthetic legs, joined the university. "Often, I felt like deferring and going back home because life just isn't the same for people living with a disability, especially when I was fit initially," she said. Jeruto says her self-esteem was affected, and she did not want to socialise much with her comrades. "In my second year, I felt loved and accepted, and I became committed to completing my course and excelling. I began to love myself, and I even found a handsome boyfriend who was always by my side until I graduated in 2015." After her graduation, Jeruto became an intern in 2016 with an NGO in Baringo. Sadly, that was short-lived as the rampant banditry attacks in the area disrupted their activities, forcing the management of the organisation to relocate to South Africa. The Egerton University graduate says since losing her internship, life has been challenging for her. She said navigating the job market has proven futile. "I have applied for hundreds of jobs, but despite going for interviews, I have never gotten any. I have been viewed differently in many interviews because I am a Person With Disability (PWD). Some question my ability to work well for their company in my state," Jeruto says. Jeruto uses crutches to facilitate her movement around. "The prosthetic leg became uncomfortable as I grew older and gained more weight. Now, I depend on crutches," says Jeruto. She says many people living with disabilities are discriminated against in the job market, despite the constitutional provisions that give preference to special groups. She explained that it took her years to get her disability ID after applying. She is hopeful that there will be a new dawn and that she can get a job. "I am confident about my ability to work. I only need an opportunity."

'I only need one chance' : PWDs still have a hard time landing job

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