A special school in Nyandarua West, the only public institution serving children with disabilities in the area, is struggling to cope with a growing number of learners in need of admission due to inadequate facilities and limited resources.
Monica Muraya, head teacher of Gatimu Special School in Nyandarua County, said about 150 children with disabilities in Gatimu Ward alone are waiting for placement at the institution.
“There are many other children who are forced to remain at home for long periods, especially those from wards far from the school. We cannot admit them because of limited resources and facilities,” Ms Muraya said.
She spoke when Michael Muchira, Member of Parliament for Oljoroorok Constituency, visited the school for the first time in his eight years in Parliament. The MP had toured the institution to commission a new classroom block funded by the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF).
Currently, the school has an enrolment of 107 pupils with varying degrees of disabilities, who share one toilet facility with nine teachers.
“At times I am inside the toilet and a pupil is knocking, urging me to come out quickly because they are waiting,” Ms Muraya said, illustrating the strain on basic amenities.
The head teacher outlined several urgent needs, including bursaries for learners, many of whom come from disadvantaged families unable to raise the Sh2,000 per term required to cover meals, including lunch and tea. She revealed that only four parents had paid fees this term.
Rising food prices have further compounded the school’s challenges. Ms Muraya noted that a 90-kilogramme bag of rice previously purchased at Sh2,350 now costs Sh3,350 in Nyahururu, stretching the school’s limited budget.
“Last term, five learners received NG-CDF bursaries, but the funds came after the school had already exhausted its food stock and was forced to borrow supplies from nearby Gatimu Girls Secondary School,” she said.
Boarding facilities remain limited despite the completion of an NG-CDF-funded dormitory, whose construction began more than a decade ago. The first group of boarders was admitted only after its completion.
Chairman of the school’s Board of Management, Charles Gateru, said expanding infrastructure would enable the institution to accommodate more learners with special needs.
“This would also allow parents, who spend many hours caring for their children, to engage in other income-generating activities,” Gateru said.
The school is also grappling with a water supply challenge. A committee managing a borehole drilled by NG-CDF within the compound shared by the Special School and Gatimu Primary School has been charging the institution for water usage.
Ms Muraya disclosed that the school received a Sh130,000 water bill last term, an amount she described as unaffordable.
In response, MP Muchira directed the committee to stop charging the Special School for water and instead collect levies from surrounding community members who draw water from the borehole.
The legislator pledged continued support to fast-track infrastructure development at the school and improve learning conditions.
“I work with a donor from Canada and will invite him to support this school,” Muchira said.
By Kimani Tirus
