Persons with Albinism in Kenya

I was just watching a news story while eating lunch and learned an interesting fact about beliefs on albinism in Kenya.  There are some who believe that the body parts of people with albinism are magical and therefore will pay for them.  As such, there are some who will attack these individuals, cut off various body parts and then sell them.  I am not certain what people do with the body parts.  Additionally, the belief continues that people with albinism vanish when they die.

When I was here in 2007 I was working with the United Disabled Persons of Kenya.  The main goal was to advocate for equal rights for persons with disabilities.  They are still not protected under the constitution in Kenya and many spend their entire lives indoors and out of sight.  This is due mainly to the stigma of having a child with a disability as they believe it reflects poorly on themselves.

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.