Crystal Asige: From Sol Generation to the Senate

Former Sol Generation signee Crystal Kagehi Asige has been nominated to Senate to represent Persons Living With Disabilities (PLWDs) under the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) flagship.

According to a Gazette notice published on Wednesday, September 7, 2022, by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), Asige was among 67 Senators scheduled to be sworn in today, Thursday, September 8, 2022.

Taking to social media in a previous post, the singer voiced her appreciation to Azimio La Umoja coalition flagbearer Raila Odinga for the opportunity describing it as an honour and win for Persons Living with Disabilities.

"The ODM Party has nominated me for the senate position in the Persons with Disability category. There is never a better measure of what a person is than what he does when he is absolutely free to choose' - William M. Bulger. This week Hon. Raila Odinga chose to leave no Kenyan behind - no matter their ability or disability. I consider this Senate nomination by Baba and ODM to be an honour and count this as a win for the communities I represent," she wrote.

Glaucoma

Asige shared that she started to notice problems with her eyesight when she was around 16 years old before fully losing her sight at the age of 20.

"I went to the UK in Bristol which was where I attended university to study film and theatre. I went for a general checkup and the doctor told me that there was something seriously wrong with my eyes. He said that the pressure was three times higher than the normal pressure in the human eye. Still alarmed, I went to the hospital and after a series of tests were done over some time, I was finally diagnosed with glaucoma.

"I was left distraught because I was only 20 years at the time, in my second year of university. Lots of things flashed before my eyes, I thought about everything that my parents had sacrificed for me to get a good education only for me to drop out because I was going blind. I also thought about my course which was very visual, and I wondered how all this was going to work if I couldn't even see. I was so stressed out, to say the least," she said in a previous interview.

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Despite being featured on Extravaganza beside Bensoul, Nviiri the Storyteller and Kaskazini, Crystal maintains she is not famous, never mind the over 9 million views the song has.

"Even though strangers may walk up to me and give me their feedback on my music and am not able to see them, that kind of interaction and support makes me happy and I promise to keep making great music and being an inspiration," she said.