Relief As Kevin Of Kaptola Special School Receives Wheelchair

By Isabella Maua

It was all pomp and color as Kevin Wekesa, a 28-year-old student at Kaptola Special School, was handed over a new wheelchair to aid in his movement to and from school.

Wekesa, who lost his mobility at the age of 10, has since been driven by a wheelbarrow to and from school by his siblings, who later gave up the tiresome task given the terrible terrain and poor roads.

“It has not been easy to bring Kevin to school in the recent past, which is why his head teacher, whom I’ll forever be grateful to, sought a solution to assist in finding a solution,” said Erastus Semei, Wekesa’s grandfather.

Semei divulges that Kaptola Special School, being the only one in Mt. Elgon, has aided in empowering special children who would have otherwise been wasted at home.

“Kevin was born like any other normal child until he was 10 when he developed challenges with his hands and legs after circumcision. After his grandmother and I took him to the hospital, he was diagnosed with polio,” explained Semei.

This, he says, was because his mother had abandoned him at about 10 months old without taking him through the required vaccination children should get; she, however, died later in the year 2023.

Nancy Laibuch, Wekesa’s class teacher, recalled the times her student was brought to school on a wheelbarrow and later on crutches, which could still not be sustainable due to his condition.

“Kevin’s siblings got tired of wheeling him on a wheelbarrow daily, and he missed many lessons after which he received crutches after our intervention with some well-wishers; however, he fell down and they were broken,” she narrated.

Martin Wambete, the school head, could not hide his gratitude as he handed over the wheelchair to Wekesa, his coveted package of a new wheel chair, which he said was a dream come true.

“We are privileged to have been gifted this wheelchair by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Kenya Institute of Special Education, and we look forward to receiving more help from them since many of our students with such challenges have been put into home-based learning,” mentioned Wambete.

He further observed that, due to poor infrastructure and impassable roads, many special needs students have had a rough time embracing learning.

“Mark you, Kaptola is the only special school in the vast Mt. Elgon Sub County, and our students, both boys and girls, are vulnerable. We request any donors, well-wishers, and government to construct for us at least 2 dormitories to domicile these students here,” he reiterated.