Joseph Mwaniki was not born with a disability. His life took a drastic turn when his mother took him for a routine vaccination at a mission hospital in Kilimambogo. https://shorturl.at/1PGAb
00:00Joseph Mwaniki, a father of three who got disabled after being administered with the wrong vaccine has chosen not to focus on the disability but his abilities.
00:11He believes in working rather than being in the streets borrowing. Let's hear Joseph's journey to acceptance and believing in himself.
00:18My name is Joseph Mwaniki. I am a builder. I live in Mdamberef.
00:35I started this job when I was in school.
00:45After school, I couldn't continue because of problems.
00:52I didn't study much in school because I finished primary school.
00:59They said my parents were not well. So I was left alone.
01:06I didn't even know about this job because I was brought here.
01:11I was taught by people.
01:13After seeing how I was brought here, I went elsewhere to ask for a job.
01:19No one took me because of how I was or how I was brought up.
01:27I went through a lot.
01:30The biggest challenge for a person like me is when you go to look for a job, you have no food, you have nothing.
01:42When I started working, I didn't have a family.
01:46I believed that I wouldn't die without a family.
01:53When I was born, I didn't have a family. I went to school without a family.
02:01I believed that I wouldn't die without a family.
02:06So I just walked around with slippers.
02:11Even in church, I wore slippers.
02:14I didn't believe that someone like me could walk around with slippers.
02:20But my mother said that there was a problem.
02:24We lived in a place called Kilimambogo.
02:27There was a hospital called Mission.
02:30The hospital was in Kilimambogo.
02:33When I was a child, I was taken to that hospital.
02:37That was when I was a little boy.
02:40My mother said that when I got out of there, I had to go to Kandungwa.
02:46That's how I got out of there.
02:48I didn't go to school again.
02:50Not even a little.
02:52I was taken to a school called Joy Town.
03:00When I was taken there, they told me that I couldn't stay there because I was too young.
03:10So I was sent to the orphanage.
03:14I went back home.
03:16I was sent there.
03:18When I stayed there, my legs were swollen.
03:21So I was sent there.
03:23From then on, no one took care of me.
03:26I went to school there.
03:28I was widowed.
03:30I stayed there.
03:32When I got out of there, I found myself like this.
03:35I went to primary school.
03:37That's where I went to school.
03:39I went to a school called Orudonyokabuku.
03:42That's where I went to primary school.
03:45I went to school.
03:47I was eight years old.
03:49That was in 1991.
03:53I was six years old when I was taken to secondary school.
03:58I left home.
04:00Even my parents didn't know where I was going.
04:03I left.
04:05They found me in Munda.
04:07But I came to Thika.
04:09I got a tattoo.
04:11I came to Thika.
04:13I stayed there.
04:15I asked for a job.
04:17Someone gave me a job.
04:20I couldn't walk.
04:22I couldn't pick up a knife.
04:24There was nothing I could do.
04:26I used to walk in the fields.
04:29I used to sit there and look.
04:31I saw this.
04:33I thought, I can do this.
04:36I started.
04:38I asked someone to help me.
04:40I knew I could get a job.
04:43I could help myself.
04:45That's where I started.
04:47I went to Thika.
04:49I asked for a job.
04:51I got a job.
04:53I was in fifth grade.
04:55I remembered I was given a job.
04:57I got a job.
04:59I got a job.
05:01I went to school.
05:03That's how it was.
05:05I went to school.
05:07I was staying there.
05:09I was given a job.
05:11I lived in their house.
05:13I built a barn.
05:15I was living there.
05:17I was building.
05:19I started to ask.
05:21I was working.
05:23I was getting about
05:25ten shillings a day.
05:27This is another story.
05:29In 1997,
05:35I went to Thika.
05:37I worked.
05:39I got married.
05:41People started loving me.
05:43I work and I do it because I have given up.
05:47Because if I don't do it, if I give up, someone else will give it to me.
05:51I have a family. I have a wife and four children.
06:00The first one is in Form 2.
06:03The second one is in grade 7.
06:08This one started in Form CBC.
06:12The other one is in Grade 3 and the other one is in Form 2.
06:16So I have four children.
06:19By the grace of God, I try very hard.
06:24Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
06:28But let's say, in a big bank, if there are no problems, I can help them.
06:38So far, I have been able to raise them up to Form 2.
06:43When they are in trouble, I appeal to God.
06:48In Egypt, they give me money.
06:51That's how I have been able to raise them up to Form 2.
06:57That's how I have been able to raise them up to Form 2.
07:00I am not like other people.
07:03I have been through a lot.
07:08I was forced to go to church.
07:11I stayed there.
07:13I stayed there for eight years.
07:19The first one I met,
07:23I asked him and he told me that he wanted a perfect wife.
07:28I looked at him and I saw that he wanted me to be perfect.
07:35I met him.
07:37We sat down.
07:39I asked him and he told me to think about it.
07:44I asked him and he told me to think about it.
07:49I asked him and he told me to think about it.
07:53I asked him and he told me to think about it.
07:57I stayed there for two years.
08:01He accepted me.
08:04I was in church.
08:06He accepted me and said,
08:09I will marry her but in charity.
08:13First, I will pray for her.
08:16There is no place.
08:18I won't even miss a day.
08:20I won't do anything bad.
08:22I will pray.
08:24I will pray.
08:26I won't even miss a day.
08:29He accepted me and we got married.
08:32I married in church.
08:35On the 4th of April, 2007.
08:38I was with my friends.
08:40I was working.
08:42I was a housewife.
08:44I was trying to maintain my family.
08:47I was trying to maintain my family.
08:50I didn't accept that I was going to pray for someone.
08:55I didn't accept that I was going to pray for someone.
