Disability rights champion Prof Ndurumo named UN Person of the Year

Prof Ndurumo, the first deaf Professor in East Africa and founder of the Africa Institute of Deaf Studies and Research, was recognized for his contributions to disability rights and inclusive education. 

As the United Nations Offices at Nairobi (UNON) marked the 80th anniversary of the United Nations on Friday, Prof Ndurumo was honoured for a lifetime of work that has transformed the landscape of communication, education, and equality in Kenya and across the region.

Fondly referred to as the ‘Father of Sign Language in Kenya’ Prof Ndurumo made a mark in disability inclusion when he developed the Kenya Sign Language (KSL), which has since been adopted in education and communication countrywide and also in South Sudan and across East Africa.

Prof Ndurumo is also recognised for his effort to ensure deaf persons consume media content. This he did through drafting a law that required all television stations in Kenya to include sign language interpretation during news bulletins, ensuring information access for all. 

His leadership helped shape the Persons with Disabilities Act (2003) (later amended in 2025) and he was instrumental in championing the inclusion of Kenyan Sign Language in the 2010 Constitution. 

While receiving his award at UNON grounds in Gigiri, the trailblazer termed it as a collective tribute to all persons with disabilities across Kenya, and individuals who contribute every day to the public good.

“What began as a modest effort to create a tool for communication evolved into a national achievement. Today, Kenyan Sign Language is recognized in our Constitution as one of our country’s three national languages—a milestone that still fills me with pride,” Prof Ndurumo told delegates at UN@80 celebrations. 

“Of course, the journey was not easy. I had to prove that sign language could enhance learning outcomes for deaf students,” he added. 

It is Prof Ndurumo’s dream that the next generation of persons with disabilities do not have to struggle to be seen or heard—but will instead begin their journeys from a place of opportunity and belonging.

“I dream of a Kenya—and an Africa—where accessibility is the norm, not the exception; where every school welcomes learners with disabilities with the right tools and the right attitudes; and where workplaces measure ability, not disability,” he said. 

Zainab Hawa Bangura, Director-General of UNON, described Prof Ndurumo’s story as that of courage and conviction, and of a man who turned silence into a language, and isolation into inclusion. 

“He has given voice to millions of Kenyans who were once unheard. As we celebrate the United Nations’ 80th anniversary — and reflect on the ideals of equality and inclusion that unite us — we honour a man who has embodied those ideals with grace, brilliance, and humility. An inspiration to us all,” said Mrs. Bangura. 

On his part, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Kenya, Dr. Stephen Jackson, remarked that “Professor Ndurumo’s life reminds us that inclusion is not charity — it is justice.”

At the UN@80 commemoration, The Hifadhi Farmers’ Cooperative Society Group was recognized as the runner-up for their innovative beekeeping and forest conservation efforts in Kenya’s Eburu Forest.