KIZURINI SPECIAL SCHOOL: CHANGING THE NARRATIVE ONE ACTION AT A TIME.
On Friday, 26 November 2021, Mrs Thelma Katana (NALSA-K Kaloleni Constituency
representative) was joined by the local area chief, Kaloleni NG-CDF officials, and other
guests as she made donations to Kizurini Special School. The contribution of 15
wheelchairs, foodstuff, pampers, sanitary towels, and first aid kits constitutes part of a larger
project carried out in Kaloleni by NALSA-K in partnership with Proudly Kenyan.
Kizurini Special School was founded in 2005 and currently has 68 students and five
teachers. It’s a mixed school that runs on both the age-based and stage-based pathways of
the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC). The age-based pathway is designed for regular
learners as well as for special needs students who use the regular curriculum with some
adaptations. In Kizurini, the children doing the age-based pathway are integrated into the
Kizurini Primary School classes. The stage-based pathway is divided into four different
levels – foundation, intermediate, pre-vocational and vocational. The Kenya Institute of
Curriculum Development (KICD) developed it for learners with developmental and
intellectual disabilities, autism, deaf-blindness and multiple disabilities.
The school’s principal, Mrs Prisca Munga, highlighted some of the challenges they face:
being understaffed, lacking the funds to cater for physiotherapy for the students, and lacking
adequate facilities such as dorms, classes, and a kitchen. Despite these challenges, she
expressed gratitude to Madame Thelma and the NALSA-K and Proudly Kenyan teams for
their contributions which have helped lessen their burden.
Mrs Katana noted in her address that doing something for the students at Kizurini Special
School was vital for her. She feels that children with disabilities are an often neglected group
in society. She hopes that in future, she can facilitate the construction of additional
classrooms for the school.
The theme for this year’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) is “Leadership
and participation of persons with disabilities toward an inclusive, accessible and sustainable
post-COVID-19 world.” As we mark this day, we’d like to celebrate teachers like those at
Kizurini Special School who are doing their part in training our future leaders. We’d also like
to thank one of our own – Mrs Thelma Katana – for creating awareness of the plight of
disabled children and playing a part in making life just a little bit easier for them.
Post by Sophia Wanyonyi
Photography by Julia Laval