State yet to disburse Sh840 million for disabled children

The government has not yet disbursed the first phase of Sh840 million in grants to over 200 special schools across the country for 2016.

National Chairman Special School Heads Association Arthur Injenga has decried over the prolonged delay that has made the schools find it difficult to have run normally.

"These are disabled children who need special attention as most of them have health related complications and need special diets. Not releasing these monies on time means not only their studies are hiccuped but also their health could worsen," said Injenga to The Standard.

Injenga said severally the association has petitioned to the Ministry of Education but the response is that treasury has not yet released the funds: "In 2015, the second phase of Sh420 million was disbursed in September late by two months."

Ministry of Education is said to disburse the funds in two phases every year; January to run up to June; July to run up to December. There are over 200 special needs schools most of them boarding which are said to be the refuge of over 2.3 million children who are disabled.

These are the mentally retarded, the blind, physically handicapped and the deaf: "All these children have workers who are employed full time to help them carry out the basics of daily routines. This is March and for two months they have not been paid."

Injenga noted that the government has somehow forgotten children with disabilities which has been seen in appointing teachers by the Teachers Service Commission where primary and secondary school teachers are prioritised.

"We would like a full directorate in the ministry of education that will look into our issues. As at the moment, we address our predicaments through the district officers who are not quite conversant," said Injenga.

The chair however noted improved involvement of the government in the needs of disabled children : "We however ask for at least one secondary school in every county to avoid parents travelling long distances to access one for their children."

In the 2015 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education(KCSE) there was no case of cheating among the 1,100 students who sat for the exam which was a slight increase from 1,090 students in 2014.