Panther completes historic Nairobi Marathon, raises funds for children’s wheelchairs

Finishing at 3hrs and 50 minutes, Panther, founder of Hope Mobility took on the full marathon using his specialised racing wheelchair, known as the “Red Ferrari”, as part of the Race for Mobility campaign to raise funds for pediatric wheelchairs.

Through his lived experience, his participation was driven by a need to help children with different disabilities have access to mobility devices they need to participate more fully in education, healthcare and community life.

Throughout the campaign to the day of the marathon, Panther said he had raised Ksh5 million, which will go into fabricating and distributing custom-made pediatric wheelchairs.

“This is the hardest marathon I have ever done. It was not easy, especially on elevations, I cannot feel my hands, but we have made it. I took part in this marathon to raise funds for children with disability and the urgent need to cater for their mobility challenges. We have raised about Ksh5 million, which is a significant milestone for the race for mobility goals,” he said.

With each specialised pediatric wheelchair costing approximately KSh 50,000 to produce, the amount will fund up to 100 wheelchairs. This is subject to final production and distribution costs. Hope Mobility Kenya manufactures and distributes about 3,500 wheelchairs annually to persons with disabilities in Kenya. 

“I want to thank the Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon for facilitating me and others in the marathon, for all those who donated to the cause and those who cheered me on along the way. The support I have received means a fraction of children with disability will have a chance to access education and lead a normal life as their peers socially. Furthermore, it eases the physical and practical demands on caregivers in pursuit of a livelihood,” he said.

Panther’s marathon challenge has helped bring the needs into the public conversation, using sport as a platform to demonstrate inclusion and encourage collective action.

According to the National Council for Persons with Disabilities, Kenya has a shortfall of about 550,000 wheelchairs and other assistive mobility devices, including an estimated 200,000 needed by children.