Today on Tuesday 22^nd, October 2024, The Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) through the Ajira Digital Program, in collaboration with the Next Step Foundation, hosted a one of a kind Sensitization Workshop for Businesses on Inclusivity. The workshop championing the theme: Disability is Ability: Exploring Diverse Talents for Inclusive Business Growth, aimed to explore and help demonstrate how disability inclusion can fuel business’ growth and success. The Sensitization Forum brought together different decision makers within organizations, including CEOs, Founders and the HR professionals, among other stakeholders championing Inclusion and creation of jobs for young people, to help enlighten businesses in Kenya on the advantages of hiring persons with disabilities.

Approximately over 1.3 billion people, or 16% of the global population, live with some form of disability. This makes persons with disabilities the world’s largest minority group. Additionally, Persons with disabilities are twice as likely to be unemployed compared to those without disabilities bringing the employment rate to as low as 20%, compared to 60-70% for the general population. This then underscores the importance and timeliness of this forum even as we strive to ensure Sustainable and Inclusive business environment in Kenya.

While delivering her Key note address, Ms. Gloria Ndekei, Executive Director at KEPSA Foundation, highlighted the significant strides made by KEPSA and KEPSA Foundation in taking part in the formulation of policies aimed at promoting inclusion of PWDs, ensuring that the engagement process is clearly outlined. These policies have not only emphasized the need for proper infrastructure, such as accessible ramps and physical spaces in the workplace, but also encouraged the private sector to implement inclusive hiring practices. She also noted that the KEPSA Foundation is committed to developing a Toolkit to provide practical guidelines, support private sector to undertake disability inclusion self-check audits, raise awareness, and bolster the confidence of organizations to onboard persons with disabilities.

‘Despite these advancements, the representation of PWDs in the workforce remains low. The targeted 5% employment rate for PWDs has not been achieved, with many organizations struggling to surpass even 3%, often due to bureaucratic hurdles. It is evident that we must go beyond policy formulation and work towards concrete action to make inclusivity a reality. As the private sector, we play a critical role in pushing for inclusivity, not just on paper, but through tangible, inclusive programs. Businesses must move beyond prioritizing profit alone and instead push for the inclusion of vulnerable groups. Inclusivity is not just about ticking boxes; it’s about ensuring accessible communication, infrastructure, and support systems, both in physical and digital spaces’ said Gloria.

The notable partners that attended the workshop include Light for the World and eMobilis among others that have been part of the journey of skilling and linking young people to work opportunities with a wider scope of inclusion for the Marginalized groups such as Women, Persons with Disabilities and Refugees. Through this engagement, they were able to share insights and strategies that seek to raise awareness, challenge misconceptions, and encourage best practices for creating inclusive workplaces while also providing businesses with actionable action points on how embracing disability inclusion can lead to a more innovative, productive, and socially responsible business.

While welcoming the participants to the forum, Ms. Gracemary Muchiri, the Ajira Digital Manager at KEPSA, highlighted how Ajira Digital Program has been a champion in providing digital skills and job linkages with a focus on persons with disabilities. She went ahead to note how the young people in the category of persons with disabilities talents that have disabilities have been overlooked by most employers and are instead seen as charity whereas they are a pool of talents and can otherwise offer businesses great and innovative solutions that can profile them to global map more innovation and ideas to these businesses.

‘The importance of this workshop can’t be stressed enough. There is a need to continue sensitizing and creating awareness to businesses on the importance of Disability Inclusion at the workplace. As you will see today, businesses play a big role in pushing the Inclusivity agenda, and are part of the equation of job creation and creating inclusive environments for PWDs’ expounded Gracemary.  

Also representing eMobilis, an implementing partner of Ajira Digital, Ms Barbra Wekesa the Training and mentorship lead for Disability Inclusion, spoke about their responsibility of providing comprehensive digital skillingtraining programs for persons with disabilities through the Ajira for PWDs apprenticeship program. This program, which include an assistive development module, provides training and mentorship, focusing on essential soft skills like communication to better prepare the trainees for the workplace. The program additionally secures internship slots and stipends for PWDs allowing companies to offer valuable work experience to the young people while benefiting from the talented workforce. She concluded by highlighting the importance of such initiatives in giving PWDs practical experience and an opportunity to demonstrate their capabilities.

Daniel Ngugi, Head of Inclusion and Development at Next Step Foundation, spoke about their commitment towards promoting inclusion by providing job linkages for marginalized individuals, through the use of technology and AI to train and upskill them. Through different partnerships, they have ensured that marginalized groups, especially persons with disabilities (PWDs), can access meaningful employment opportunities.

‘By engaging businesses in different sectors such as manufacturing, transport, and digital industries, we offer tailored training and support to facilitate a smooth transition toward inclusivity. We encourage businesses to embrace global standards of accessibility, recognizing that different sectors may face unique challenges in integrating PWDs into the workforce. On the supply side, we continue to equip young people with disabilities and those from marginalized areas across the country with the skills needed to succeed in today's job market’ Said Daniel

Assistive technology plays a crucial role in supporting persons with disabilities (PWDs), as was highlighted by Ms. Iram Bahawal, the inclusive employment advisor at Light for the world. However, she explained that there were gaps between the availability of these technologies and the demand for them, largely due to concerns from businesses about the perceived costs involved in supporting PWDs. Fortunately, there is a positive shift as more companies begin to recognize the value of inclusivity.

‘Using assistive technologies can actually benefit businesses in multiple ways. These tools help PWDs overcome barriers, enabling them to contribute effectively in the workplace. Many of these technologies, such as screen readers and voice-activated software, not only assist PWDs but can also improve accessibility for everyone. The key is to shift the narrative—by giving PWDs the confidence to use these technologies and encouraging businesses to embrace inclusivity, we create an environment where everyone thrives.’ Said Iram.

Ephantus Kagwi, the Monitoring engineer at Safaricom and a young man with physical impairment while sharing his experience and solutions he has brought to corporates stated the numerous contributions he has made at his work place including the rollout of fiber optic networks and the automation of processes through the use of AI in his company, just to name a few. He explained how he was part of the 600km fibre cables deployed in western region and has offered over one thousand first line resolutions through his duties. These achievements highlight the valuable contributions PWDs can make when given the opportunity to participate in meaningful work. He also pointed out the many challenges faced by PWDs, one of which was self-acceptance. Ephantus explained that this can be a significant barrier that prevents them from seeking opportunities and fully showcasing their potential. Building confidence in their abilities is essential for PWDs to overcome these obstacles and actively pursue opportunities in the workforce.

The workshop ended with a well detailed presentation on disability done by Allan Maonga, Head of People, Diversity, and Culture at Next Step Foundation, that emphasized the importance of bringing everyone to the table when discussing inclusivity. A key part of the presentation was the exploration of the various aspects of disability, including the different types. An important topic covered was on the issue of neurodiversity and the growing recognition of its importance in the workplace. The presentation also introduced different models of disability, specifically the medical model, which views disability as a condition to be treated, and the social model, which focuses on removing societal barriers to enable full participation of individuals with disabilities. One of the major points highlighted was the various barriers that prevent the creation of an inclusive workplace. Addressing these barriers is essential for fostering an inclusive culture that enables everyone, regardless of their abilities, to contribute and thrive in the workplace. The session also had a Q&A session for businesses to raise their concerns and additions.

The Sensitization Workshop served as a step toward fostering a more inclusive business environment in Kenya. By bringing together diverse stakeholders, the forum emphasized the undeniable value that persons with disabilities (PWDs) bring to the workforce. As businesses strive to align with global standards and meet sustainability goals, inclusion must be seen not only as a social responsibility but also as a pathway to innovation, productivity, and growth. The private sector organizations have a mandate in driving this change, and the positive shift towards embracing PWDs is a promising sign of progress. By continuing to challenge misconceptions and address barriers, Kenyan businesses can unlock the full potential of PWDs, paving the way for a more equitable and successful future for all