That disability is not inability is one saying that
perfectly describes Violet Sikawa.
From humble beginnings, having been born in a marginalized community, Sikawa has overcome physical challenges
to fulfill her lifetime ambitions.
“I
accepted the status and learned to move on and explore the world,”
she says. Flashing a soft smile, her face is a reflection of contentment,
a strong character that has
endured hardships to develop resilience and courage that has enabled
her to confront
difficult situations.
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| Violet Sikawa |
“God
never creates misfits, we are all born to a foundation of equality,
irrespective of our social or physical challenges. We are one people,”
she says. She has always been inspired by Martin Luther King Jnr’s
reverberating message of hope that resonates around the globe.
She quotes King Jnr’s memorable verse: “An individual has not started living until
he can rise above narrow confines of his individualistic concerns
to the broader concerns of humanity.”
Sikawa
was brought up in Langata Village,
where she was socialized into adulthood by her peasant parents. Growing up, she
was always optimistic of a bright future. At times friends and acquaintances would
visit her at home and re-assure her of good tidings ahead.
She kept her faith and pursued her ambitions weaned
on a life of hope and expectant opportunities by the clergy. Sikawa got saved at a tender age,
insulating her life from fear. She carried on with her strong belief in
divinity through her primary and secondary school, all the way to university.
Today, Sikawa
is a respected scholar and politician, who has overcome disability to complete
her undergraduate studies in tourism management and is currently pursuing a
Master’s degree course. She has been lecturing at the Maasai Mara University.
She now sits at the County Assembly of Narok
after being nominated by the Kenya
National Congress. Although, she never dreamed of joining politics, her
activities and the Constitution of Kenya,
2010 has propelled her to the new
roles.
The Constitution has made it mandatory for persons
with disability to be nominated to represent their compatriots in the local and National Assembly, but with
conditions. Those nominated must be well educated, and this requirement proved
a plus for Sikawa. Even as much as
she honed her tourism skills at the university, she remained a silent politician.
“I
have always been an ardent crusader of disabled people’s rights since I
completed my varsity education, vocally speaking about their constitutional rights,”
she says. Sikawa is also the chair
of the committee tasked with handling disability issues at the assembly.
Accepting her physical state as a natural condition,
she has also founded an organization to press for the rights of persons with
disability in Narok. The
organization has been credited with rehabilitating and mentoring young persons
with disabilities for sustainable development.
The foundation is a product of the constitutional
provisions (Disability Act No 14 of 2003), which recognizes the physically
challenged as equal to those who are not. Sikawa
and her team plan to start rehabilitation centers in the region. She has mooted
a Motion for the disabled to be tabled in the County Assembly
to encourage the authorities to set up a special kitty to support development
programmes for the disabled.
She challenges men to accept the reality that what
they can do, women, too, can. She urges women, especially those with
disabilities, to shed off negative attitudes and embrace the adage ‘Yes we can’.
Sikawa
gives the example of the County Assembly, where men outnumber women. There are 16 women, all nominated, against 30 men, all
elected. This disproportionate representation signifies patriarchal hegemony, which needs
to be reversed, she says.
Through collective efforts and sensitisation campaigns
for girl-child education programmes, Sikawa is confident the challenges can be
overcome with time. She is appealing to fellow professional women to come up in
big numbers and support girl child education.
For a start, the girls can protect others from
undergoing female genital mutilation,
which arguably increases their urge for early marriage that inhibits their
education growth. “Every woman has the
potential to be what they want. It only takes courage and resilience to realize
our dreams. We just have to stand firm,” she concludes
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