Jane Wangechi (extreme right) explains to visitors how he has struggled with the family of disabled

When they got married 1994, Jane Wangechi thought that life would be better of than staying single and would now settle for her own family. Her 38-year-old husband Charles Materi also thought life would no longer be the same.

By the time, Materi was just limping slightly they settled at dusty, remote and hilly Kimunyuru village in Nyeri North district which is in Central Province.

But life has changed for the worse 14 years later and what she now counts is her husband is disabled and her two daughters born later Martha Njeri, 13 and Alice Wanjiru, 7 are all disabled.

Many of the cases have been reported in this village and women and children are mostly falling victims.

The mystery which surrounds the remote village in Kieni West division over the increased number of disabled persons in the area has left many with mouths open.

Increased cases of mental and physical disability among people ranging between ages 7 – 85 years have shocked the residents.

Some area residents first thought it was witchcraft, and then they said it is disease inheritance, others said it is intermarriages of people with close relationship, while others thought the area residents of Kimunyuru village failed to pay the traditional Kikuyu dowry, others thought that the area residents may not be feeding on a balanced diet and yet others thought it is the water they uses since there is no piped water in the area or a poor diet among pregnant women due to food shortages in the area but the real cause of the rising cases of disabilities in the past years is yet to be established.

At least 40 people are suffering with physical, blindness and mental disabilities which have puzzled many and the family of Wangechi is no exception.

She bitterly narrates the pain and suffering she has gone through since she got married over a decade ago. Her husband is disabled and is on a wheel chair and he cannot perform many duties at home since both his legs are deformed and he depends on his wife for basic needs.

Materi became disabled after the birth of their last child, Wanjiru, seven years back and since then the burden has been heavy for her to provide for her family from her meager income which she gets from casual work she does in her neighborhood.

Her family doesn’t own any land and the area is barren and non productive.

Among her seven children, two of them are disabled and she has to carry them on her back to Ngarenyiro Primary School, 3 kilometers away from her home. She helps them with all their sanitation needs too.

“I have gone to many special schools in the district looking for help for my children but nobody is willing to help. They are demanding Ksh. 7,000 per term and I’m a peasant farmer, I simply cannot afford it. Taking care of them on my own is very hard and it it taking a toll on me. Life has been terrible for me.” laments Wangechi.

She says that she has faced many hardships and sometimes her family has to go to bed on empty stomachs since jobs are not forthcoming at times.

Only recently was her burden eased a bit when the area Member of Parliament, Nemesyus Warugongo, took one of her disabled children, Alice Wanjiru- 7, to the Thika Joy Town Special School. Her husband and daughter were also provided with wheel.

Just a few metres away from Wangechi's home are 17 year old John Karuara and his brother Kevin Wachira, 12 suffering from Epilepsy. The two cannot talk and have since dropped out of school in Standard 3 several months ago. Their mother Agnes Wairimu has been going through many tribulations similar to Wangechi’s.

She says that the children were born quite normal but while they were in class three, they developed the disease and had to discontinue with school.

“These people with disabilities feel like outcasts in the society and even those who attend school cannot concentrate in their class work because they feel they are always afraid of being stigmatized.” noted one mother.

Life is no different for 85 year old Rosesina Nyambura who has been disabled for many years and her caretaker says it has been a big challenge caring for her. The caretaker who sought anonymity said somebody should come to the aid of Nyambura so that she can be taken to a special home for the old.

The head teacher of Ngarenyiro Primary School Gichuhi Mureithi where many of these pupils attend school says that the administration has faced a lot of difficulties in handling these pupils since they require special attention and other pupils with no disabilities do not understand them. He now needs special trained teachers to handle the disabled.

"It is quite challenging in their case since these pupils fully rely on other pupils and their teachers for everything. We even have to allocate duties to other students to assist them around school. " Gichuhi said.

A bicycle bought by the school to ferry them to school could not cope with the rising number and when it rains it is unable to operate. That means many times they fail to attend classes.

The head teacher is appealing to well wishers to come to their aid, and help to take them to schools which can give them special attention and special care.

He adds that the pupils feel neglected in school and they do not understand why they are not like their colleagues.

Lack of specialized facilities and teachers to hold special programs for them is a major challenge for the school. The administration urges the government to come to their help by coming up with a special school in the area where these pupils can comfortably fit in.

The area MP Nemesyus Warugongo says that the situation in the area is a serious and unique and the Ministry of Health should carry out thorough research on what may be the cause of these disabilities which are more or less similar, and cited that it is quite uncommon to have such disabilities from the same area but in different families.

"I will propose we set aside some kitty from the Constituency Development Funds in order to establish a special school in the area since the one in the district is not enough to cater for all the victims.” says Warugongo when he donated the two wheel chairs worth Kshs 40,000.

He also urges the parents to come in the open since disability is not something to hide and nobody has chosen to be born with disabilities.

Central Provincial Medical Officer Dr. George Ngatiri says such cases are very peculiar and it might be that the diseases are genetic or are caused by a lack of the right diet with enough calcium. He has since promised to carry out a thorough research to establish the cause.

The officer says that ignorance in the area is rampant and added that the Government should try to deliver civic education.