Hamisa Zaja

Last updated
Hamisa Zaja
2024 Hamisa Zaja (sq cropped).jpg
in 2024
Bornc.1972
Mombasa County
Nationality Kenya
Known fordisability activist
Political party United Green Movement party

Hamisa Zaja (c.1972 - ) is a Kenyan empowering persons with disabilities. She founded the Coastal Association for People with Disabilities. In 2024 she was a finalist in the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) International Women Building Peace Award.

Contents

Life

Zaja was born in about 1972 in Kenya's Mombasa County. She was treated for fever when she was a child and as a result she has a paralysed leg. [1] She went to Port Ritz School for the Physically Handicapped and then Mama Ngina Girls' Secondary School. She knew that her family organised marriages for their children, but no candidates were identified for her. She went on to graduate in business administration. [1]

Zaja founded the Coastal Association for People with Disabilities. [2] She was chosen to be on the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program. [3]

Four candidates at the Women Building Peace Awards. Zaja, Marie-Marcelle Deschamps, USIP's Megan Beyer, Petronille Vaweka and Abir Haj Ibrahim 2024 How Women on the Front Lines Forge Peace - 1.jpg
Four candidates at the Women Building Peace Awards. Zaja, Marie-Marcelle Deschamps, USIP's Megan Beyer, Pétronille Vaweka and Abir Haj Ibrahim

She was one of four candidates at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) in Washington DC for the Women Building Peace Awards. The other three were Pétronille Vaweka of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Dr. Marie-Marcelle Deschamps of Haiti, Abir Haj Ibrahim from Syria. [4] [5] The award had previously been won in 2021 by Josephine Ekiru from Kenya. [6] In 2024 Pétronille Vaweka became the Women Building Peace Award Laureate. [4]

Zaja was one of fourteen women who stood for election to replace the Women's Representative Asha Hussein in Mombasa. [7] She stood on behalf of the United Green Movement party who are trying to end unfair inequalities. [8] She believed that people with disabilities may be intimidated by others, including some police officers, from voting. She spoke out for better behaviour noting that the winners and losers in the ballot all had to live together after the election. [7]

Private life

Zaja is married and has two children. [1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Women who found ability in disability". The Citizen. 2020-10-22. Retrieved 2024-12-02.
  2. ↑ Ndunge, Judy (2024-04-15). "Hamisa Zaja, a Kenyan activist feted for championing rights of persons with disabilities -" . Retrieved 2024-12-02.
  3. ↑ Arudo, Otieno (2024-03-08). "Kenyan Activist Hamisa Zaja Honored with Prestigious International Women Building Peace Award". KenyanVibe. Retrieved 2024-12-02.
  4. 1 2 "How the World Can Better Support Women Peacebuilders". United States Institute of Peace. Archived from the original on May 21, 2024. Retrieved 2024-12-02.
  5. ↑ Abala, William (2024-03-06). "Hamisa Zaja Bags 2024 Women Building Peace Award" . Retrieved 2024-12-02.
  6. ↑ "Previous Women Building Peace Award Laureates and Finalists". United States Institute of Peace. Archived from the original on November 19, 2024. Retrieved 2024-12-02.
  7. 1 2 "Don't use violence to scare women, PWDs — Zaja". The Star. Retrieved 2024-12-02.
  8. ↑ "UNITED GREEN MOVEMENT – UNITED GREEN MOVEMENT" . Retrieved 2024-12-02.
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