New autism centre targets gap in specialised care, education

From left:  MPESA  Foundation Trustee Patricia Ithau, Mali Integrated School Director Elizabeth Wamukowa, and Ushiriki Wema Foundation Chairperson Tessie Mudavadi during the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of Mali Integrated School in Karen on June 8, 2026. [Benard Orwongo, Standard] 

A new integrated learning and therapy centre for children with autism and other special needs is being developed in Nairobi to expand access to specialised education.

The Mali Integrated School in Karen will combine education, therapy, sports, technology, arts and caregiver support for children with autism and developmental challenges.

Supporters say it could become one of the first facilities of its kind in East and Central Africa.

The school is being developed by Mali Therapy Center for Kids with Autism, founded by Pauline Wamukowa.

The development comes as Kenya grapples with a shortage of specialists and therapy services that leaves most affected families to shoulder costs on their own.

The Autism Society of Kenya estimates one in 25 children, about four per cent of the population, live with autism spectrum disorder, translating to roughly 2.2 million Kenyans.

Kenya has only about 200 speech therapists for a population of 53 million, against a World Health Organisation recommendation of one per 50,000 people.

Autism-specific therapies also remain excluded from the Social Health Authority's benefit package, leaving families to pay out of pocket.

Kenya's 2018 Sector Policy for Learners and Trainees with Disabilities established inclusive education as the governing principle for disability provision, but implementation has been inconsistent, with trained teachers and specialised facilities in short supply.

Ushiriki Wema Foundation Chairperson Tessie Mudavadi, attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the school alongside representatives from the National Council for Persons with Disabilities and the Ministry of Education.

Daniel Juma Omondi, Africa regional representative of the Global Peace Foundation, said Mali Therapy Center was among institutions in its Great Places to School programme.

"We are proud to witness this important milestone that will transform the lives of children with special needs and their families across the region," said Omondi.

The M-Pesa Foundation has pledged Sh50m towards construction of the school, with trustee Patricia Ithau announcing the commitment at the ceremony.

The funds, drawn from the foundation's Citizens of the Future programme, will go towards classrooms and an art centre.