Emergency Preparedness for Persons with Disabilities in Kenya: A Case Study

A simple guide for Kenyans with disabilities and communities preparing for emergencies

The Purple Vest Mission is a case study from Israel that offers practical lessons for Kenya. It shows how communities can prepare to support persons with disabilities during emergencies.

For Kenya, the question is simple: how can we localize this idea so it works in our own communities?

Disasters in Kenya are common. Floods, fires, droughts, building collapses, road accidents, and conflict-related displacement affect thousands of people every year. Yet many emergency responses still leave out persons with disabilities.

For many persons with disabilities, help arrives too late, or never reaches them at all.

This happens because most emergency plans are designed around people without disabilities. Very few plans prepare for:

• a wheelchair user whose evacuation route is flooded or blocked
• a deaf person who cannot hear a warning announcement on a WhatsApp video
• a visually impaired person who cannot read an evacuation notice posted on a wall
• someone with epilepsy who has a seizure during the chaos of fleeing
• a person with an intellectual disability who becomes overwhelmed when crowds are shouting

That is why the Purple Vest model is useful as a case study for Kenya.

What is the Purple Vest Mission?

The Purple Vest Mission is a community training programme. It trains ordinary people, not doctors or paramedics, in one practical area: how to identify, communicate with, and assist persons with disabilities during emergencies.

It was created by Michal Rimon, CEO of Access Israel, an organisation that works on disability inclusion. The initiative began in 2022 during the war in Ukraine, when emergency responders realised they did not know how to safely support persons with disabilities during evacuations.

Volunteers who complete the training wear a purple vest. The vest sends a simple message: “I know how to help.”

Why this matters for Kenyans

Kenya already has the kind of emergencies that make this model relevant. Communities face floods, drought, fires, displacement, and other crises every year. In these moments, persons with disabilities often face the highest risk.

A localized Kenyan version of the Purple Vest model could help communities prepare in advance. It could be adapted through:

• Community health promoters
• Village elders and local administrators
• Organisations of persons with disabilities
• Youth groups and faith-based groups
• Red Cross volunteers
• Schools, churches, mosques, and local rescue teams

The main lesson is that disability-inclusive emergency support should begin at community level, before disaster strikes.

Three things Purple Vest volunteers learn

How Kenya can localize this model

The Purple Vest should be understood as a case study, not a ready-made imported solution. Kenya can adapt the idea to fit local realities.

A Kenyan version could include:

• training in Kiswahili, English, and local languages
• county-level disability-inclusive emergency teams
• volunteers drawn from local community structures
• simple identification such as bibs, badges, or branded reflector jackets
• emergency messaging that includes sign language, SMS alerts, radio, and door-to-door warning systems
• disability mapping at village, ward, and county level so responders know who may need support

Localization also means using Kenyan experiences. Communities already know how to mobilize during floods, fires, and drought. What is often missing is disability inclusion. The Purple Vest model gives one practical way to fill that gap.

How the Purple Vest idea helps persons with disabilities prepare

The model is also useful because it encourages persons with disabilities to prepare for emergencies themselves.

This is important because, in the first moments of a disaster, a person may be alone. Knowing what to do before anyone arrives can make a major difference.

Your personal emergency plan

Kenya faces recurring disasters every year. Persons with disabilities are often among the most affected. A localized Purple Vest approach would encourage every person with a disability to prepare a simple personal emergency plan.

This can include:

• the assistive device you cannot leave behind, such as a wheelchair, white cane, walking frame, hearing aid, or communication aid
• the medicines you must carry and where they are kept
• three phone numbers you can call or text in an emergency
• how you communicate best when frightened, confused, or overwhelmed
• the name of one trusted neighbour, friend, or relative who understands your needs and can support you

The key lesson for Kenya

The Purple Vest is a useful case study because it shows that emergency inclusion does not always begin with specialised professionals. It can begin with trained neighbours, volunteers, youth leaders, local responders, and community members who know how to assist persons with disabilities safely and in the best way.

For Kenya, the opportunity is to take this idea and build a local version that fits our counties, our risks, our languages, and our communities.

In the next article, we explain exactly what a Purple Vest volunteer does step by step and how this approach can work in Kenyan communities right now.

Article By: Maryanne Emomeri