In a world that often rewards quick speech and fluent delivery, Emmanuel Makokha has had to carve his path to being heard - patiently, persistently, and on his own terms.
A program officer, agricultural specialist, and disability rights advocate based in Kenya, Emmanuel has a stammer. He has faced this speech impairment from an early age, but he now discusses it more openly and manages it with greater confidence. “Growing up, until 2022, I didn’t know stammering was a disability. That meant I faced barriers without knowing why or how to overcome them,” he says. “I missed out on opportunities because some people believed I couldn’t do certain things, even when they meant well.”
I’ve learned that the real issue isn’t the disability, it’s the barriers. If we remove those, especially negative attitudes, young people with disabilities can reach their full potential.
“Too often, the world sees us through a lens of limitation (referring to the cup half-empty analogy), not value. We need to shift that view to see ability, not just disability. I realise that stammering is hard on the person who stammers—but it’s also tough on the person listening,” he says. “So I try to accommodate my audience as much as I hope they accommodate me. Patience is really key.”
Though the stammer has shaped how he communicates, it hasn’t held him back. Emmanuel admits that it hasn’t always been easy. “Meeting new people is when I stammer the most,” he shares. “But over time, I’ve found that the more I become familiar with environments, the less the stammer controls me.”
That confidence has been hard-won. Often at the top of his class throughout his school career, Emmanuel dropped out of university for two years, paralysed by the fear of defending his final-year project in front of an audience. “Most challenges came at university, possibly because it was a very new environment.” But when he returned, he found a lecturer who supported him with kindness and consistency, helping him graduate two years later than his peers. That late graduation proved to be the beginning of a deeply personal shift.
One of the most significant turning points in his career came when he landed a role at a start-up called Wefarm. “It was one of my lowest moments—I had been rejected so many times before. But they recognized my abilities.” That decision changed everything. Within three months, he was promoted to a full-time role with a salary triple the original amount.
But what mattered even more than the pay rise was the mentorship he received.
“Jamila Abass, now Country Director at GiveDirectly, Morocco office, became one of the most important people in my life.
“Jamila Abass, now Country Director at GiveDirectly, Morocco office, became one of the most important people in my life.
She didn’t give me opportunities because I had a disability. She gave me opportunities because I had potential and she saw this beyond the impairment. She told me: ‘If anyone doesn’t give you an opportunity because of your stammer, they are the ones who’ve lost - not you.”
Today, Emmanuel carries that message with him into every room he enters. He continues to advocate for inclusive practices that create space for youth with disabilities, without pity or tokenism.
His experience has also taught him the importance of believing in others, just as others have believed in him. “I’ve learned that people don’t always need you to fix things for them. Sometimes, they just need you to listen - fully, and without distraction,” he says. “When someone does that for me, I feel seen.
Learning to speak up about his needs is something he’s really struggled with, sharing that many people with invisible disabilities feel the same. “It takes time to learn how to explain your needs—especially through the lens of human rights and reasonable accommodation, which many people don’t understand. Once I learned this, I started applying it when I got interview invites or speaking opportunities. Sometimes people suggest I write instead of speaking, thinking it will be easier for me. I know they mean well, but it doesn’t always help. Stammering can be hard for me and those listening, but I want to use my real voice. In the stammering community, we say: when a stammered word arrives, it arrives with power. That power - the tone, the expression, the meaning - can’t be captured in writing.”
“When a stammered word arrives, it arrives with power.”
Despite the obstacles, Emmanuel has found his voice in ways many people never do. Sometimes, it comes through prayer - something he does every morning, and curiously, always without stammering. Other times, it comes through writing, where he can be more articulate. “I might struggle to voice something in the moment, but give me time and a pen or a keyboard, and I’ll write something that moves people,” he says.
And move people, he does. Not just with his words, but with the clarity of his purpose and the quiet strength of his belief that everyone - regardless of how they speak - deserves to be heard.
“Having lived experience in this space, I understand what needs more attention - especially from development partners. I dream of a time when I can help guide their efforts so they focus on what truly matters: equity and real inclusion. People with disabilities shouldn’t just receive support; they should help design, lead, and measure the impact of these programs. That’s the legacy I hope to leave.”
Emmanuel Makhokha is a disability inclusion and community engagement specialist leading the Mastercard Foundation’s We Can Work initiative in Kenya. Through his role at the United Disabled Persons of Kenya (UDPK), he focuses on advocacy, capacity building, and empowering youth with disabilities to become strong community leaders. With over six years’ experience across agritech, communications, and development, he champions inclusive, economically empowering programs nationwide.
Kuvakala Thina
Amplifying voices, driving inclusion for impact and showcasing youth leadership who are shaping inclusive and sustainable futures.
