A church in Kilifi county is building churches for people living with disability so they can worship and their spiritual needs can be met..
Committed Believers Evangelical Ministries of Africa (CBM Africa) has already built three churches for the physically challenged in Watamu, Malindi and Katsangani in Tana River.
There are ramps for wheelchairs, wide aisles and plenty of space and suitable restrooms. Pastors and counsellors understand their needs.
CBM Africa has also registering people with disabilities so they can be recognised by the government. The church also organises free medical camps for people with disabilities.
Rev Fredrick Kazungu Masha, the founder of CBM Africa, said the objective of their ministry was to reach the unreachable.
Many people with disabilities cannot go to church because they are physically inaccessible and uncomfortable.
Speaking at a medical camp in Malindi, Masha said they had targeted 100 people to be registered with National Council of People with Disability and receive free clothes.
However, he said more than 200 people showed up and most were not registered.
Kazungu said they are also ministering to the spiritual needs of people living with disability.
“Many people living with disabilities are suffering spiritually and the only one to depend on is God, for that reason, we have services where we direct them to the Lord,” he said.
He said most of them do not accept that they have a disability adding that some have attempted suicide. They receive counselling.
“We also counsel those living with people with disability because most of them are stressed," he said.
Socially, he said, they also bring them together to interact and already three have got married.
Kazungu said they have a programme to give them funding to start small businesses and 43 have already benefited to move away from the begging life.
“In Kenya there are many rights but one cannot be recognised without the identity card, and it costs Sh500.
Kazungu said there are no churches for people with disabilities and appealed to donors and well-wishers to support them.
Edward Maina, disability assessment officer at the Malindi Subcounty hospital, said there are so many challenges facing the people with disability as many lack information for them to be assessed.
His department also doesn't have enough staff which makes it difficult for them to work effectively at the rehabilitation center and go to the ground to help.
So far, he said they are only five staff members and there are supposed to be three times that number.
“Assessment entails so many things including the person's needs and physical appearance,” he said.
Omolo Lameck from the National Council for Persons living with Disability said most people are not registered.
(Edited by V. Graham)
