Government steps in to support vulnerable learners in Baringo

Benson Kelio and Christopher Kiprop-KNA

The Ministry of Gender, Culture and Children’s Services has mobilized humanitarian support for 32 schools serving children with special needs in Baringo County.

Speaking during a distinctive handing over ceremony of material and equipment support at Kabarnet School for deaf and blind, Gender Cabinet Secretary Hanna Cheptumo highlighted the important role played by such institutions in providing care and protection of vulnerable children and disadvantaged members of the society.

She stated that there is a need for coordinated efforts to establish safe and child-friendly spaces for children in emergencies including those rescued from abuse, exploitation and conflicts.

“The deprived children in Baringo are all our children and they need our support,” Cheptumo, who was flanked by her Principal Secretaries Anne Wang’ombe (Gender) and Caren Angego (Children Welfare Services), said.

The CS stated that her ministry is planning to come up with a sustainable model to address challenges faced by the special schools to ensure they operate comfortably.

She urged charitable organisations to partner with the government to identify children who can be placed back within the family-based care arrangement to ensure their safety and wellbeing.

Angego, in her remarks, called on all stakeholders to team up to identify children with disabilities who have either been locked at home or abandoned by their parents, to ensure they are supported.

The Children Welfare Services PS decried the rampant cases of parental neglect in Baringo County, where 2,177 cases were reported between July 2024 and June 30, 2025, making the county position three countrywide on the vice.

She encouraged parents from the region to be near their children at all times and provide conducive conditions for them to develop their full potential and become productive members of society in future.

Wang’ombe, on the other hand elucidated that physically challenged women and girls are three times more likely to suffer gender-based violence hence there is need for their relatives and guardians to talk on their behalf or call for help.

The PS at the same time urged parents to provide the best treatment ever for their vulnerable children by showing them love and attention because they did not choose to be in the predicament they are in.

Governor Benjamin Cheboi said his administration is targeting to use county funds to register pupils from special schools across the county under Social Health Authority (SHA) to enable them to benefit from health services across the county.

Cheboi disclosed that Kabarnet School for the Deaf and Blind is earmarked for funding to establish a nursery seedbed for horticulture as an income generating venture for their self-sustainability.

The Institution’s board chair, Rev. Vincent Chelal, enumerated some of the challenges teachers and non-teaching staff face while handling learners with multiple disabilities.

He revealed that the institution owes subordinate staff at least Sh7.1 million in arrears for a period of 14 months they have been working.

The chair appealed to both levels of government and other partners to chip in and offset the bills to motivate them to continue serving the institution.

During the event, over 30 benefiting institutions received 300 bags of rice, 250 bags of beans, 400 blankets, 180 mattresses, sanitary towels, five cartons and 30 bales of soap.