Mr. Michael Gichohi is an Investment Banker and Economist with broad and extensive experience in originating and structuring capital markets and financial solutions for both local and international clients.

Michael has undertaken major assignments in economic advisory and research, policy analysis and business and feasibility studies. This experience was gained during his over 25 years working career during which he gained extensive exposure through working in Government of Kenya ministries and departments, management consultancy, commercial banking, and investment banking. He worked as CEO of an Investment Bank for 3 years; as General Manager in charge of operations and investment banking transactions for 3 years; as Corporate Lending Manager with the Commercial Bank of Africa for 10 years; and as a senior consultant at Deloitte & Touche for 5 years. Michael also worked with the Ministry of Finance as an economist and statistician in the areas of budgeting, planning and preparation of donor-funded programmes.

Among the assignments undertaken were the structuring and placement of key debt and equity instruments for KenGen, the national electricity generation company, Equity Bank Limited, Uchumi Supermarkets Limited, PTA Bank, Barclays Bank of Kenya and Shelter Afrique. Michael’s broad range of experience includes project management, corporate and institutional financial and economic training, and economic and industry research on various sectors of the economy. While at Deloitte, he was an assistant project manager for a European Investment Bank-funded programme for Kenya worth USD 60 million that ran for 6 years.

Michael is the Chairman of the Board of African Braille Centre (ABC), Chairman of Escrow Group Kenya, Chairman of VenAfrican LLP, and a board member of Kusanya Asset Limited and Midlands Limited. He is a past chairman of the Kenya Association of Stock Brokers and Investment Banks where he represented the association in Kenya-UAE seminar in Dubai, and also attended a World Bank-sponsored seminar in Morocco on the use of debt instruments in funding projects.

Kiarie Kimani has many years in international development working with marginalized communities and people living with disabilities. This experience involves working both with Community Based Organisations and International NGOs in East, Central, and Southern Africa. Kimani played key roles in establishing national offices for International NGOs including but not limited to Care International, Sightsavers International, and Fred Hollows Foundation. 

He has vast experience in Monitoring and Evaluation, Programme design and Implementation, as well as partnership development by building relevant capacities to make local development organizations become effective in their development work. 

Kimani is a holder of a Masters Degree in Economics and Statistics, from the School of Development, University of Delhi-India, with a specialization in development. Currently, Kimani runs a consultancy firm, Quintet New Initiatives and Development. He consults for NGOs and undertakes part-time assignments with UNICEF Africa on issues relating to children living with disabilities in East and Southern Africa. He is also an ardent farmer. He runs the Tenere Dairy Farm in Nyandarua County.

Kimani is a board member of Weru Secondary School and a champion of community projects in Weru Ward, his home area, in Nyandarua County. He is also involved in awareness campaigns on issues around the environment and conservation, focusing on the conservation of Lake Olbolossat in Nyandarua County.

Monica is a serving Judge of the Employment and Labour Relations Court, a Superior Court in the Republic of Kenya. She is currently the Presiding Judge, in Mombasa County, having previously served in similar capacities in both Nairobi and Nakuru counties.

With her background in law, Monica has a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from the University of Nairobi and a Master of Laws (LLM) degree from the University of Pretoria. She is currently enrolled for a Doctor of Laws (LLD) degree at the University of Nairobi, where her research focus is on disability and the law.

A seasoned scholar and legal practitioner, Monica's special focus has been on social justice and human rights, marginalised populations, gender, women, and persons with disabilities. She has specialist knowledge of the African human rights systems, with particular training on the application of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights in Africa; and also of the Protocol on the African Charter on Women Rights in Africa. 

In addition to her legal duties and judicial service, Monica has also served as a consultant with the Secretariat of the African Decade for Persons with Disabilities (SADPD) on policy, legal, and practice frameworks with the African Union (AU) regional body, and also the sub-regional block of the East African Community (EAC).

Monica's experience, vast knowledge, legal training, background, and research, plus her passion for serving persons with disabilities, make her such an invaluable member of the Board of the African Braille Centre. Her advice on matters legal and disability helps the Board and the Organisation to not only operate within the confines of the law but to also stick to its mission of serving persons with disabilities with dignity and dedication.

Wilfred Maina successfully steered ABC’s transition from a regional education project of Sightsavers International - the African Braille Computer Development (ABCD) project - where he was the Project Manager, to a regional NGO, the African Braille Centre (ABC). Under his leadership, ABCD was transformed into ABC which was registered as an independent regional non-governmental organization by the NGOs Coordination Board in 1997. Wilfred became ABC’s first Executive Director in 2000. He spearheaded the setting up of organizational systems and policies, which are still in place today. He helped develop a vibrant organization with a broad national, regional, and international network, that it still enjoys to date.

Wilfred later served Kenyatta University for a period of ten years between 2011 and 2021, before returning to ABC in 2023, where he currently is the CEO and Board Secretary. While at the university, he was the Director, of Kenyatta University Press and Secretary to the University Press Board; later on, becoming the Director, of Kenyatta University Press, Bookshops, and Cyber Cafes. He remained an active member of the ABC Board.

Wilfred’s management experience cuts across the private, public, and development sectors in Kenya and the Africa region in general, and the disability services sub-sector in particular, in which he has been active since 1994. Between 2002 and 2012, Wilfred served for ten years as the Africa Regional Chairperson of the International Council for the Education of People with Visual Impairment (ICEVI). This is a global membership organization, with a mission to promote access to inclusive, equitable, and quality education for all people with visual impairment. Under his leadership, ICEVI’s regional campaign for ‘Education for All Children with Visual Impairment’ (EFAVI) was launched in Africa, to address the unique educational needs of blind and visually impaired children in the region.

Wilfred’s passion for change, development and inclusivity is clearly demonstrated by his involvement in several community projects and initiatives. He served as Chairman and Board Member of the Community Eye Services Organization (CESO) in Nairobi between 2001 and 2009. He is currently the Chairman of the Board of Management of Ngamba Secondary School in Murang’a County. Wilfred also serves on the Board of Shining Star Centre (SSC), registered in Kenya as a community-based organization, and in the United States as a 501(c)3 organization. The SSC seeks to improve the quality of life for orphaned and vulnerable children and youth; homeless widows and widowers; and persons with disabilities in Kenya, through education, social welfare and socio-economic empowerment.

Wilfred is a trained teacher, writer, editor, publisher, counsellor, trainer, HR Practitioner and Management Consultant. He is a full member of the Kenya Institute of Management (KIM), the Kenya Institute of Human Resource Management (IHRM), the Kenya Association of Fundraising Professionals (KAFP), and is also a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE).

Samuel Gichia, ABC’s Production / Development Manager has been with ABC for over three decades, serving persons with visual impairment in Kenya and the region.

It is interesting how an aspiring airplane pilot/technician ended up at ABC, first as a Braille technician, a trainer, and ultimately as a manager. After completing high school, Samuel, who aspired to be a pilot, decided that enrolling as an Air Force cadet would provide the quickest route to achieving his life’s ambition. But as fate would have it, he would end up as only one among many who were disqualified from joining the training. And there ended his dream of ever becoming a pilot.

Today, Samuel has achieved so much more. He began his career as a Transcriber/Binder with Hadley School for the Blind, later becoming the Kenya Institute for the Blind (KIB). There he learned Braille reading and writing, becoming an expert in mass Braille production using the globally renowned Heidelberg machine. Samuel later joined the National Council for Churches of Kenya (NCCK) as an Advocacy Program Officer, gaining valuable experience in managing program work.

Samuel’s turning point was however at Sight Savers International (SSI), where he was part of the African Braille Computer Project (ABCD) team, the forerunner of the African Braille Centre (ABC). This is where Samuel realized his dream of becoming a technician. He was content without fixing airplanes, but ultimately becoming ‘Mr. Fix it for all manner of Braille equipment and devices, a task he still undertakes with passion today.

Trained in the repair of Perkins Braillers in South Africa; Index embossers in Sweden; and Braillo embossers in Kenya, Samuel has what it takes to ensure that ABC is not only able to keep all its Braille production equipment in top form but to also extend the same to other organizations outside of ABC. He is a leading consultant in the training of Perkins Brailler technicians, mostly in Kenya and Africa, but also in other parts of the world. His expertise has been recognized by Perkins School for the Blind, the manufacturer of the Perkins Braillers worldwide, ranking him as a Level Four Technician. In return, he has also trained many people, both locally and internationally, in Braille transcription and the repairs and maintenance of Braille equipment and various assistive devices. Among the people Samuel has trained are teachers and Braille transcribers in several countries, including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone, among others. He has also trained and installed Braille embossers in Ethiopia, Uganda, and Tanzania.

Despite all the challenges, among them a frustrated desire for flying, Samuel’s career journey has been industrious and rewarding. It leaves him proud of what he has been able to achieve, not just for himself, but also for all those that he has trained and served with so much dedication over the years. Samuel still has many years of service under his belt and wants to continue serving this great community that has meant so much to him.

Joseph Njoroge, a trained accountant, is the Finance and Administration Officer at the African Braille Centre (ABC), where he has been since 2017. Before joining ABC Joseph, worked for Roto Moulders, a renowned water tank manufacturing company, and Grant Thornton International, a global auditing firm. Experience gained in those firms has helped him manage ABC’s finances well and funds entrusted to the organization to run programs and projects runs are managed prudently, and the same is reported to funders in a timely manner.

It is one of Joseph’s responsibilities to ensure that stocks of assistive devices are procured from the right sources, at the right prices, and available to customers whenever they need them. Despite being an accountant, this has not stopped Joseph from understanding and being able to assist customers with assistive devices they may need, or provide necessary support in Braille or related services.

Joseph also ensures that both financial and administrative systems are working efficiently; staff needs are attended to effectively; and customers get value for money for services they procure from ABC.

Jessica Mandela is the Office / Production Assistant at the African Braille Centre (ABC), where she has been since 2017. Jessica, who has a background and training in catering and entrepreneurship, is also a trained first aider. She ensures that not only is the office running smoothly by providing all the assistance that staff, clients, and visitors need, but also that they operate within a conducive, friendly, comfortable, and safe working environment.

Over the years, Jessica has been trained in Braille production, proving to be a fast learner and efficient operator, who is able to provide timely support to the production team. Jessica is always at hand with her first aid skills, ensuring that not only is the equipment operated safely, but that she is also available to provide first aid, should this ever become necessary.