A section of the participants of the annual Cerebral Palsy walk at Nyayo Stadium. [File, Standard]

"Symptoms appear during infancy and vary from very mild to serious. Children with cerebral palsy may have exaggerated reflexes. It's so challenging to take care of such cases," Ombonye says.

"They need to, as they are doing, refer each other to good special schools, good speech therapists and even physiotherapists as the CP condition requires a multi-disciplinary approach to handle. Their unity may even help them get better deals in getting diapers, medicines and other supplies their children need through lobbying."

The medic, who is based at Bungoma's Hopkins Hospital, said the burden of caring for CP is "obviously" lessened tremendously by the mood of the group that came together to assist one another mentally and even financially.

He says that even as he has never interacted with such an initiative among the CP parents, the social support idea in medicine is not new as he has seen networks of families, friends, neighbours, and community members that turn up during medical situations to give psychological, physical, and financial help to ease the situations.

"I think they have a focused future which will see them enjoy the caregiving rather than regret it," he says.

And true to the medic's words, the group is now focused on lobbying for subsidised anticonvulsant drugs and dippers that their children need every so often.

"We will humble ourselves before the county and even national government and ask them to supply us with the medication and pampers for free or at subsidised rates because CP cases are fewer than those of people with say, HIV who get free ARVs but we pay dearly for our children's anticonvulsants," says Ayuma who heads the Group which also accommodates one parent Maulean Kabochi who has a child with Hydrocephalus.