By Elijah Cherutich
Sixty elderly residents from Kelelwet Village in Nakuru Town West have received wheelchairs to help improve their mobility and independence.
Among the beneficiaries is 74-year-old Sogome Chepilet Kibet, who has been struggling with leg complications that left her bedridden.
For more than three years, she has endured persistent joint pains that made it difficult to move around or carry out household chores. For the past 18 months, she has been confined to her bed after her legs completely failed.
Speaking during the handover ceremony at Soar Kenya Academy in Kelelwet, Sogome said the condition has affected her health and quality of life.
“My legs started failing slowly, and around three years ago, I started getting serious knee pains that never went away,” she said.
Her granddaughter, Mercy Mitei, said she has had to stay close to care for her grandmother, who can no longer move or perform daily tasks.
“Her body is now frail, given the age-related conditions. Sleeping all the time has just affected her so much and she has to be turned over and helped around,” she said.
The wheelchairs were donated by David Behring, Director of the Wheelchair Foundation, who said the initiative seeks to promote mobility and dignity among the elderly and persons with disabilities.
Behring said the chairs, which come in various sizes, will also help schoolchildren in the community attend classes more easily.
“Most people at their old age have difficulty moving around and thus discharging their routine activities or moving around becomes a nightmare, and as such use of these wheelchairs will facilitate them to better move,” he said.
He added that the foundation has donated more than 8,000 wheelchairs across Kenya and plans to expand the program to reach more people in Nakuru.
Soar Kenya Academy Director James Yegon said the donation will uplift the lives of families around the school and called for continued support to meet the growing demand.