Kenya Society for the Blind

What Kenya Society for the Blind does

Kenya Society for the Blind (KSB) is a Nairobi-based nonprofit organization established in 1956 by an Act of Parliament (Cap 251, Revised 2012) with a statutory mandate to serve all Kenyan citizens at risk of blindness and persons living with visual impairment (PWVI). The organization operates four core programs: Eye Care (eye clinic, optical shop, and community outreach camps delivering screenings and free eyeglasses), Education (coordination of the Kenya Integrated Education Program in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Sight Savers International, plus Braille literacy and adapted computer training), Rehabilitation (Braille literacy, orientation and mobility training, adapted computer and phone accessibility training), and Awareness (advocacy, membership, fundraising events such as Ride for Sight). It also distributes assistive devices including Smart White Canes, Braille Watches, Counting Abacus, Perkins Braille Machines, Goalball, talking calculators, screen readers (Supernova), screen magnification (Zoom Text), Braille notetakers, and Braille embossers.

KSB operates as a service-delivery organization rather than a technology company, with no proprietary technology stack or AI/ML capabilities. Its revenue model is diversified across donations and sponsorships (via MPesa, bank transfer, and cheque), membership dues, events (Ride for Sight), and direct service revenue from eye clinic consultations and optical shop sales of eyewear and vision aids, with pricing not publicly disclosed and a stated emphasis on affordability. Its go-to-market is community-led, relying on grassroots outreach camps that bring eye care services to underserved populations, supplemented by a permanent clinic and retail optical shop in Nairobi. KSB is governed by a Council including representatives from the Ministries of Health, Education, and Labor & Social Protection, and works through strategic partnerships with the Government of Kenya, Sight Savers International, and the Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE). The organization employs 45 staff, serves all of Kenya, and is currently preparing to mark its 70th anniversary in June 2026.

Name

Kenya Society for the Blind

Legal name

Kenya Society for the Blind

Website

https://ksblind.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kenya Society for the Blind is a Nairobi-based nonprofit, established by Act of Parliament in 1956, delivering eye care, inclusive education, rehabilitation, and assistive devices to persons with visual impairment across Kenya. It funds operations through donations, membership dues, events, and optical shop sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability and Eye Care Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000), Ophthalmic Goods (3851)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Assistive Solutions (Accessibility, Assistive Tech) (BPAGALAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Assistive Technology (AT) & AAC Services (EDAJAKAF), IEP/504 Planning, Case Management & Compliance (EDAJAKAB)

Keywords

• Eye care services
• Visual impairment rehabilitation
• Braille literacy training
• Assistive device distribution
• Community outreach programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Nairobi

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorship: KSB receives monetary donations from individuals, businesses, and organizations through MPesa, cheques, and direct bank deposits. The organization also accepts sponsorship of specific programs or events. Corporate entities, government bodies, and private citizens contribute to support the organization's activities.
2. Membership and Subscriptions: KSB encourages individuals and organizations to become members through membership dues, providing a steady source of recurring income to support activities and initiatives.
3. Events and Activity Support: KSB organizes and participates in events including the annual Ride for Sight to raise funds, engage the community, and advocate for the rights of persons with visual impairment.
4. Direct Services Revenue: Revenue generated from eye clinic services and optical shop sales including eyewear and vision aids, with emphasis on affordability and accessibility.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

KSB delivers preventive, educational, rehabilitative, and habilitative services to persons with visual impairment across Kenya through its Eye Clinic, Optical Shop, Community Outreach Camps, and inclusive education program (KIEP). It also distributes assistive devices (white canes, braille machines, screen readers, magnifiers) and accepts donations and memberships to fund operations.

Product overview

Kenya Society for the Blind operates as a comprehensive service organization offering four core programmes: Eye Care (Eye Clinic, Optical Shop, Community Outreach), Education (KIEP programme with Braille and computer training), Rehabilitation (orientation, mobility, and life skills training), and Awareness (advocacy and fundraising). The organization also distributes assistive devices including Smart White Cane, Braille Watches, Counting Abacus, Perkins Braille Machine, Talking Scientific Calculator, Goalball, Supernova Access Suite, Freedom Scientific Zoom Text, Braille Note Touch Plus, and Braille Embosser Machine. Donation acceptance is available via MPesa, bank transfer, and cheque.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Eye Care Programme

Quantifiable outcome

• Thousands of individuals rehabilitated and reintegrated into communities
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Ministry of Education (Kenya)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1986The Ministry of Education is represented in the KSB Board by an appointee of the Permanent Secretary. KSB has coordinated the Kenya Integrated Education Program (KIEP) since 1986 in partnership with the Ministry, working to integrate learners with visual impairment into regular public schools through a tripartite agreement.
• Sight Savers International (SSI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1986SSI is a key partner in the tripartite agreement for the Kenya Integrated Education Program (KIEP), working alongside KSB and the Ministry of Education to increase capacity for integrating learners with visual impairment into regular schools.
• KISE (Kenya Institute of Special Education)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKSB collaborates with KISE to train teachers in Braille and Low Vision skills, enabling them to facilitate assessment, placement, and support of learners with visual impairment in regular schools.
• Government of KenyacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKSB is established through Act of Parliament Cap 251 and works with government agencies at all levels to promote an enabling environment for persons with visual impairments through prevention, education, rehabilitation, and habilitation initiatives.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Fred Hollows Foundation: Australia-based NGO operating in over 25 countries including Kenya, focused on ending avoidable blindness through cataract surgery, screening, and local capacity building. Direct peer in eye-care service delivery and outreach-camp model that mirrors KSB's optical clinic and community screening work.
• Helen Keller International: International NGO working on preventable blindness (vitamin A, trachoma, refractive error) and malnutrition across Africa and Asia. Direct peer because Helen Keller's integrated blindness-prevention and rehabilitation programming closely overlaps KSB's Eye Care + Rehabilitation programme structure.
• Orbis International: Global eye-health nonprofit providing training, treatment, and advocacy to prevent blindness, with active programmes in Africa. Comparable to KSB because Orbis operates hospital-based eye care, community screening, and training models targeting avoidable blindness in low- and middle-income countries.
• CBM (Christoffel-Blindenmission): International disability and eye-health INGO active across Africa and Asia delivering inclusive eye care, rehabilitation, and education. Comparable to KSB because it combines clinical ophthalmology, community outreach, assistive devices, and inclusive education for visually impaired persons.
• Light for the World: Austria-headquartered INGO focused on inclusive eye health, education, and disability rights, with strong Africa operations. Comparable to KSB for combining ophthalmic clinical services, inclusive education support, and assistive device distribution for visually impaired populations.
• Sightsavers: International NGO focused on preventing avoidable blindness and supporting people with visual impairments across Africa and Asia. Direct peer because Sightsavers is a current tripartite partner in KSB's KIEP programme and operates an identical eye-care and inclusive-education model in adjacent African countries.

Regional players

• National Association for the Blind (India): Established Indian NGO providing rehabilitation, education, and assistive services for the visually impaired. Regional peer because NAB operates the same holistic disability-services model (Braille, mobility, assistive devices, advocacy) that KSB delivers in East Africa.

Broad incumbents

• Perkins School for the Blind: Historic US-based institution serving blind and deafblind students with education, rehabilitation, and international programmes. Broad incumbent because Perkins' international disability-education and assistive-tech work parallels KSB's inclusive education (KIEP) and rehabilitation mission.
• Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB): UK charity offering support, advocacy, and services to blind and partially sighted people. Broad incumbent because RNIB's mix of rehabilitation, assistive devices, accessible information, and policy advocacy mirrors KSB's four-pillar service approach at greater scale.

Emerging players

• Brien Holden Vision Institute: Australia-based social enterprise addressing uncorrected refractive error through training, research, and service delivery in Africa and Asia. Emerging peer because Brien Holden's community-screening and affordable-eyewear model is a more specialized overlap with KSB's outreach-camp and optical-shop activities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/teamksblind
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@kenyasocietyfortheblind6388
• Facebookfacebook.com/teamksblind
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kenya-society-for-the-blind
• Instagraminstagram.com/teamksblind
• TikToktiktok.com/@teamksblind?lang=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kenya Society for the Blind