Disability is not an inability but rather an ability to do things differently. They say politics is a dirty game but to Dennitah Ghati it’s just but a misconception, having been nominated by the Orange Democratic Movement as a member of Parliament, Ghati is an enthusiastic lover of politics. She has achieved much from her political career, but this is not where her story began.
She was born in 1980 in a rural village in Migori, attended the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication in Nairobi South B, and later joined Kenyatta University before working as a journalist at the East African Standard Newspaper.
Dennitah, a former journalist at Standard and a mom survived a horrific road accident year 2014 March which left her physically disabled. She is keen on bringing change to the attitude that society has towards Persons With Disabilities, especially their basics concerns which are hardly given the priority they deserve.
Ghati has represented Persons With Disabilities in the National Assembly which has helped her understand the world of disability and its challenges.
When Kenya ratified a new constitution in 2010, the country adopted UN standards that establish equal rights for Persons With Disabilities, and Ghati spends much of her time ensuring that the country is compliant. She travels widely to learn how other countries address the needs of the PWDs.
The fervor she had as a journalist writing on gender-based issues scored her a scholarship to Columbia University in New York, as the former Migori woman representative she was very committed a virtue she has carried along while working around disability matters. In addition, she runs her foundation, “The Denittah Foundation” which she established way back and has been able to distribute wheelchairs and support Persons With Disabilities.
She also formed an Education Centre for the Advancement of Women, ECAW, an association that has been involved in the fight against FGM in Kuria as well as promoting education of the girl child throughout the county.
She recently won the ODM primaries for Migori woman representative seat and she hopes to achieve more for the Persons With Disabilities. Indeed she is a true reflection of ability in the disability world.
BY LILIAN MACHARIA