By Kamundia Muriithi
The bell rings to announce break time and a cacophony of excited noises fill the air as pupils of Ngiori Integrated Primary School in Mbeere South, Embu County stream out of classrooms to the compound to bask in the sun, rush to the toilet or play.
Among them are a few physically challenged ones who are assisted by their colleagues to move about in the compound and to their dorms.
The school has 12 pupils with various physical handicaps confining some of them to wheelchairs for their movement.
Until this recebtly, five pupils in need of wheelchairs did not have them as theirs got broken down and could not be repaired owing to lack of spares and resources.
Lack of wheelchairs did not keep the pupils immobile as their physically fit colleagues would assist them to move about. In some cases they carry the severely disabled children on their backs.
Monicah Mogeni, a teacher attached to the physically challenged unit, says the rest of pupils have been empathetic and loving to their disabled colleagues.
“The unit faces water shortages during dry seasons yet we cannot live without water for cooking, bathing and washing. Their other pupils who are day scholars come with water from homes that is used at the unit. They also bring us firewood when the unit has none,” said Mogeni.
The unit got some relieves after Embu Water and Sanitation Company (EWASCO) donated eight wheelchairs and is also sponsoring construction of pavements to facilitate movements.
Handing over the wheelchairs, EWASCO Chairman Joel Ngatiari said they would assist the school to have their piped water reconnected after it was disconnected two years ago for failing to pay water bills.
Mogeni also revealed that the unit faces dire funding challenges, a situation reflected in the kitchen where they feed “the food available even when it does not meet the pupil’s nutrition needs”.
Being the only teacher attached to the unit while also assigned lessons in the primary school, Mogeni says the school requires another teacher and non-teaching staff.
The unit, which was established in 1996, also has its positive story where three of its alumni qualified to join university as government sponsored students.
According to Mogeni, the unit has enabled physically challenged pupils to access their right to education and health, as well as create awareness on disability issues.
She notes that in the absence of the unit, such children would waste away at home, whereas in school they learn important life skills.
“We have a physiotherapist from Association of the Physically Disabled of Kenya who visits regularly to assess the kids and prescribe needed action,” she said.
