Somewhere in Kajiado County, a young girl watches other children leave for school each morning. Their uniforms are neatly pressed, their bags packed, and their futures seemingly unfolding with every step. Yet, for her, the classroom remains a distant dream. Not because she lacks the desire or ability to learn, but because the education system has yet to fully accommodate her needs.
For children with intellectual disabilities, particularly girls, this is an all-too-familiar reality. Stigma, poverty, inaccessible learning environments and gaps in legislation continue to deny many their fundamental right to education.
But a determined partnership is seeking to rewrite this narrative, one legislative amendment at a time.
Spearheaded by the Strathmore University Law Clinic and Strathmore University Foundation, in partnership with the Orione Community Training Centre (OCTC), an ambitious advocacy initiative is pushing for legislative reforms that could transform early childhood education in Kajiado County.
The year-long project, running from February 2026 to January 2027, seeks to strengthen the Kajiado County Early Childhood Education Act, 2023, ensuring that children with intellectual disabilities are no longer left at the margins of early learning.
According to the 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census, approximately 2.2% of children under 15 in Kajiado live with disabilities. Behind this statistic are families navigating societal prejudice, inadequate infrastructure and limited access to appropriate educational support.
Although the existing county legislation recognises children with special needs, significant gaps remain in disability definitions, enforceable accessibility standards and dedicated financing.
The Strathmore University Law Clinic, serving as the project’s legal and technical lead, has undertaken a comprehensive legislative review, identifying nine proposed amendments. These include stronger non-discrimination provisions, accessibility requirements for licensing early childhood education centres and a dedicated disability-inclusion grant.
On 23 October 2026, Strathmore University hosted a County Roundtable Stakeholder Meeting, bringing the proposed reforms into discussions with county stakeholders and advancing the conversation from advocacy towards legislative action.
Speaking during the meeting, Patrick Nzomo, Faculty Director of the Law Clinic, explained that the proposed reforms seek to align county legislation with Kenya’s Constitution and regional and international legal frameworks protecting children with disabilities.
Beyond the corridors of policymaking, the initiative is equally rooted in community empowerment.
Through the Inclusive Futures programme, 300 teachers, caregivers, health workers, students and paralegals have received free awareness training. Community dialogues, educational outreach and assessments of early childhood education centres have further strengthened the evidence supporting reform.
Betty Taani, Nominated Member of the Kajiado County Assembly and Chairperson of the Disability Mainstreaming Committee, said the reforms represent an important opportunity to safeguard vulnerable children and ensure their right to education is protected.
The initiative is expected to benefit approximately 2,850 children and 4,100 parents, caregivers, teachers and community members across Kajiado County.
For the Strathmore University Foundation, the project embodies its commitment to transformative, holistic and equitable education, demonstrating how universities can extend their influence beyond academic spaces to shape public policy and improve lives.
With the draft amendment now before county legislators, attention turns to securing the commitments necessary to translate legislative proposals into meaningful change.
Ultimately, the measure of success will not simply be a law amended or a policy adopted. It will be the day when a child with a disability in Kajiado can walk into a classroom, take her seat alongside her peers and discover that her future, too, is filled with possibility.
Article written by Stephen Wakhu
