The Kenyan Paraplegic Organization was officially registered in the year 2004 as a Non Governmental Organization formed to enhance the dignity, welfare and a sense of self reliance of people living with spinal cord injuries.
The organization’s programmes include: Economic Empowerment, Resource Mobilization, Outreach, Counselling, Advocacy and Awareness.
Kenyan Paraplegic Organization (KPO) was registered with the NGO coordinating bureau on 18th of March 2004. It is established under the principles guiding Non Governmental Organizations (NGO) in Kenya, to undertake initiatives as pertains paraplegics and matters affecting them in Kenya. The organization is the first of its kind in Kenya and indeed Sub-Saharan Africa. KPO is a non-partisan, non-political and non-profit making organization. It also applies United Nation’s Millennium Goals including non-discrimination in service provision for paraplegics.
KPO BACKGROUND
The Kenyan Paraplegic Organization (KPO) is a local non-governmental organization (NGO) registered in April 2004. The organization was formed to undertake alternative initiatives in respect to paraplegics and support all matters pertaining to them.
KPO came into existence through the initiative of Mr. Timothy Wanyonyi, who is a paraplegic, having gone through the experience of surviving a carjacker’s gunshot that caused him a spinal cord injury. His experience made him think of the fate of all those spinal injury sufferers who suddenly have to live with the traumatic experience of pain, physical disability, psychological effects and the totally new life they are transformed into. He thought of most of those whose families cannot provide the support required for proper treatment and cannot get adequate psychological support and maintenance. He also thought of the reaction of communities, which often do not know how to handle the paraplegic. These thoughts motivated Mr. Timothy Wanyonyi to set up KPO, which is the only organization of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa.
KPO is set up as a non-profit making charity and applies United Nations millennium goals including non-discrimination in service provision for paraplegics. KPO is formed to exclusively take care of the interests of paraplegics and does not deal with other forms of disability.
Our Purpose
KPO’s major role is to assist persons with Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI) and other physical disabilities to achieve independence, self-reliance and full community participation. Our priority is to reach out and respond to the needs of all people with spinal cord injuries and their families.
Our Priority
To achieve our general and specific objectives, KPO board finds that there is an urgent need for an ultra modern rehabilitation centre to compliment the services offered by the National Spinal Injury Hospital, which is a government institution.
Due to budgetary constraints, by the government, the National Spinal Injury Hospital has not been expanded to meet the growing needs of spinal cord injuries in the country. It is for this reason that KPO plans to undertake the construction and set-up of the rehabilitation centre.
