Natembeya's Light Moment with one of the tailoring Students at the Mitoto Vocational Training Centre in Trans NzoiaTrans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya has pledged to invest
more in facilities for learners with special needs, saying disability should
never stand in the way of education, ambition or talent.
Natembeya said his administration would prioritise the
development and equipping of schools and other facilities to ensure learners with
disabilities can access education in an environment designed to meet their
needs.
“We are working to ensure our schools for children with
special needs are well equipped with the necessary facilities to support
education for the affected learners,” he said.
The governor spoke while presiding over the commissioning
and handover of Mitoto Vocational Training Centre to the county Department of
Education.
The facility was funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry for
Economic Cooperation and Development through Deutsches Blindenhilfswerk, Ananse
and Salus Oculi Kenya.
The centre has two dormitories, five classrooms, a kitchen
and dining hall and an ablution block. It has the capacity to accommodate more
than 100 boys and girls.
“This facility is one of its kind in this region, and it is
going to help empower our students living with these challenges,” Natembeya
said.
He said collaboration with development partners had enabled
the county to establish what he described as a world-class facility. He added
that plans were under way to expand it further, including acquiring more land.
The governor said the centre reflected the county’s
conviction that disability should never limit ambition and that every learner
has talent and potential that deserves to be nurtured.
“In the coming years, this will be a centre of excellence
for learners with visual impairment, not just for Trans Nzoia, but for the
wider region,” he said.
Kiminini MCA Joshua Amwai said the project started with the
county purchasing the land before development partners came on board to help
complete it.
“We collaborated with the county executive and were able to
purchase this land. It was a gesture of hope that we would create something
iconic, but our resources were not sufficient. Brick by brick, we built a
perimeter wall, not knowing that we would later partner with development
partners who shared our vision,” Amwai said.
He credited the Safaricom Foundation with constructing and equipping three classrooms and an office worth Sh5 million.
Other partners include Step 30 International Ministries, which drilled a borehole worth Sh3 million, while SUPKEM also sank a borehole for the facility.
Kilimanjaro Foundation, the National Fund for the Disabled Kenya and individual donors provided equipment, including computers, Orbit Readers and knitting machines worth Sh1.3 million.
“Because of these partners, Mitoto is now an iconic centre of excellence and a sanctuary for our students who are abled differently,” Amwai said.
Trans Nzoia Education and Vocational Training executive Janerose
Mutama thanked the development partners, saying their support went beyond
bricks and equipment.
The improved facilities have also contributed to increased enrolment in vocational training centres, with the number of learners rising to more than 4,000.
