A special needs school in Nyandarua West, the only public facility serving children with disabilities in the locality, is facing mounting pressure as demand for placements continues to rise amid strained infrastructure and scarce resources.
Monica Muraya, the head teacher of Gatimu Special School in Nyandarua County, disclosed that nearly 150 children with disabilities in Gatimu Ward alone are awaiting admission.
“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 during a visit by Oljoroorok MP Michael Muchira, who toured the school to officially open a newly constructed classroom block financed through the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF). It marked his first visit to the institution since he became a legislator eight years earlier.
The school currently enrols 107 learners with different forms of disabilities. However, both pupils and the nine teachers share a single toilet facility, highlighting the acute shortage of basic amenities.
“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.
Muraya appealed for urgent intervention, citing the need for bursaries to support learners from vulnerable households. She explained that many families struggle to raise the Sh2,000 per term required to provide meals, including lunch and tea, noting that only four parents had paid fees this term.
The rising cost of food has worsened the situation. According to the head teacher, a 90-kilogramme bag of rice that previously cost Sh2,350 now retails at Sh3,350 in Nyahururu, further straining the school’s tight finances.
“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.
Although an NG-CDF-supported dormitory has finally been completed—more than ten years after construction began—boarding capacity remains limited. The school admitted its first group of boarders only after the facility was finalised.
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Board of Management Chairman Charles Gateru emphasised that expanding facilities would allow the school to enrol 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 institution is also battling a water supply dispute. A committee overseeing a borehole drilled by NG-CDF within the shared compound of the Special School and Gatimu Primary School has been billing the special school for water consumption.
Ms Muraya revealed that the school was issued a Sh130,000 water bill last term, describing the charge as beyond its means.
In response, MP Muchira instructed the committee to cease billing the Special School and instead charge community members who fetch water from the borehole.
The lawmaker assured the school of sustained support to accelerate infrastructure improvements and enhance the learning environment.
“I work with a donor from Canada and will invite him to support this school,” Muchira said.
By Joseph Mambili
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