Deaf Education in Kenya is a constantly changing section of the Kenyan education system that is focused on educating deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing-impaired Kenyan students. There are many organizations in Kenya made to protect the rights of Deaf Kenyans and promote progress in deaf education. The state of Kenyan deaf education is constantly changing and improving.
Deaf Sign Language Use in Kenya
Kenyan Sign Language
Kenyan Sign Language (KSL) is the used by the deaf community of Kenya, the population of which is estimated to be 600,000. With a population of around 340,000 speakers (based on a 2007 consensus), KSL acts as the primary mode of communication for over half of the deaf population. There are two known dialects- Kisumu in western Kenya and Mombasa in eastern Kenya.
Like other sign languages, KSL evolved largely through the social interactions of the deaf. Vocabulary is enriched and constantly changing through the movement of unique signs originating in remote areas to other schools or communities. These regional differences can create dialects, just as in oral languages. Kenya, being a culturally diverse country, has around 42 ethnic groups and their local sign languages provided the basis for KSL and allow for its continued diversification.
The first dictionary for an African Sign Language was written in Kenya in 1988 by Rothenborg-Jensen and Yego on Kenyan Sign Language.
Kenyan Sign Language Family KSL may has connections to American Sign Language (ASL) and British Sign Language (BSL), and the manual alphabet is largely (omit) based on that of the American Sign Language, though the British one was used previously and still used in a Mombasa school. KSL has been largely influenced by ASL since the inception of formal education. Many Kenyan schools for the deaf were founded by churches such as the Presbyterian Church of East Africa and Catholic Church and were later influenced by deaf leaders such as Prof. Michael Ndurumo, who advocated the use of sign language and the manual alphabet, as well as many interpreters and volunteers associated with them. The origin of many of the interpreter training programmes were influences by organizations associated with ASL-use, such as the Peace Corps in the foundation of the Kenyan Sign Language Interpreters Association (KSLIA).
The KSL used to teach in schools may not be considered authentic KSL due to the substantial amount of ASL influence.
Kenyan Sign Language is the basis for Somali Sign Language. This is due to the fact that the first school for the deaf in Somalia along with its three teachers came from Annalena Tonelli’s Kenyan school for the deaf in Wajir.
Though KSL is largely unrelated to other languages, but has similarities with Ugandan and Tanzanian sign languages. Nonetheless, Ugandan and Tanzanian deaf cannot often understand KSL very well. However, many deaf Ugandans know KSL due to the fact that they often travel to Kenya for secondary education.
Legal Recognition Kenya's official languages are English and Kiswahili, though KSLI is making efforts to give Kenyan Sign Language and Braille official status as well. While not Kenya's official languages, Braille and KSL are mentioned in the 2009 Constitution, Article 7, in which it is stated that the State will protect these two Kenyan languages along with Kenya's indigenous languages.Constitution (2009) Art. 7 [National, official and other languages]
KSL Use in Kenya The government of Kenya uses Kenya Signed English, which is parallel to American Signed Exact English, in which the sign language does not have its own grammar and follows English grammar. Kenya Signed English is also used in all schools under the Kenya Institute of Education. KSL, on the other hand, is backed by the University of Nairobi. It is used at Nyangoma and Mumias, both of which are primary schools for the deaf in western Kenya. There is a noted negativity towards KSL on behalf of special education teachers. Some schools are known to use other sign languages, including a Mombasa school uses British Sign Language. A more in-depth look into the use of KSL and SEE in Kenyan schools is presented in the next section.
Kenyan Educational Structure and the Incorporation of Deaf Education In Kenya, deaf education makes up part of the ministry of education under the special education division. The Educational Assessment and Resource Services (EARS) also plays a role in assisting deaf education opportunities. It hosts an Educational Assessment and Resource Centre (EARC) in every Kenyan district. Before a deaf child is entered into a school, he is assessed at his local EARC.
History of Deaf Education in Kenya
Establishment of Deaf Schools and the Use of KSL Historically, many changes have been made to the policies in Kenya regarding language of instruction in deaf schools. Starting in the 1800s, missionaries from Europe began establishing schools for the deaf. However, these schools catered to the wealthier population and excluded poor families from the specialized education. At the time, there was a strong emphasis on the oral communication, lip reading, speech therapy, and hearing aids.
For quite a while, some publications and speakers have attributed and linked establishment of schools for the deaf in Kenya to Dr. Andrew Jackson Foster. Dr. Foster did not establish any schools or churches for the deaf in Kenya. Dr. Foster's work was mainly concentrated in West Africa.
In Kenya, Schools for the deaf were started by religious bodies, both Christian and Muslim.. The first school for the deaf in Kenya was Aga Khan in Mombasa started in 1958. Mumias School for the Deaf and Nyangoma School for the deaf were both established by the Catholic church in 1961, followed by Kambui School for the Deaf which was started by the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) in 1963. There then followed a number of schools established by churches, these included Tumu Tumu School for the Deaf in 1970 established by the PCEA, the Methodist Church also started Kaaga School for the Deaf, and the Anglican Church started Maseno School for the Deaf. Another school for the deaf - Kapsabet School for the Deaf was started by the African Inland Church.Ndurumo. Michael M. (1993) Exceptional Children: Developmental Consequences and Intervention. Longman All these were pioneer schools by their respective churches long before Andrew Foster visited Kenya for the first time in the 1980s while on transit to Nigeria. Moreover, schools for the deaf in Kenya started using sign language when it was introduced to schools by Prof Michael Ndurumo in the early 1980s.
Other important facts to note are that the Kenya Society for Deaf Children (KSDC) was registered in 1958. Indeed, Prof Michael Ndurumo who later became instrumental in deaf education in Kenya was one of KSDC's first students at Dagoreti Children's Centre in 1961 to 1963. Other pioneer deaf students in Kenya include Santina Mwarania, Rosemary Aloo, Scholastica Majuma, Solomon Kayia, Florence Baseke (from Uganda), and Elkana Kimutai who were among the first batch of students at Mumias School for the Deaf; and Mr. Patrick Hagoi, Rev Daniel Njihia, and Rev Joseph Ondiek who were among the first students at Nyangoma School for the Deaf. Most of there pioneer students would later become very influential leaders of the deaf in many spheres of life in Kenya.
Simultaneous communication, or sign supported speech, started to be used in 1986 and is still present. Simultaneous communication (SimCom) involves using both oral and manual coded languages- in this case English and Signed Exact English. While in theory this method is effective, in practice it can become very confusing. Nonetheless, it is claimed that this communication mode has resulted in academic progress.
One of the first instances of deaf education that used sign language as opposed to the oral method of the missionary schools starts with the inception of the Kenya Society for Deaf Children (KSDC) in 1958, which went on to build the first two schools made specifically for the deaf- Nyangoma and Mumias. Both primary schools were built in west Kenya by 1961. Secondary schools were built as the number of students attending has drastically increased. According to KSDC's statistics, 1,710 students attended schools for the deaf in 1982, and by 2001 there were 6,000 students. There were reported 23 deaf schools were built from 1960-1980. However, even accounting for the impressive movement, it is estimated that around 30% of all deaf children in Kenya still do not go to school.
Prof. Michael Ndurumo is a deaf Kenyan educated in the United States who advocated the use of SEE in 1985 while working for the Kenya Institute of Education (KIE). He was a supporter of the use of sign language in classrooms. This led to the Ministry of Education's formation of Machakos School for the Deaf where Ndurumo incorporated the ASL manual alphabet and the total communication method. Total communication is a mixture of oralism and manualism, and incorporates the use of the individual's specific vocabulary, sign language, fingerspelling, speech and lip reading, manually coded language and other forms of communication to teach at an individual level for students.
A 1988 study conducted by the Ministry of Education showed that using total communication as a teaching method enabled faster learning and was more effective for cognitive growth when incorporated at earlier ages than later ages. After this study, the Kenyan government promoted the use of sign language and, more specifically, SEE alongside total communication in deaf schools and classrooms.
The Structure of Deaf Education in Kenya
Language Instruction Policy As one of Kenya's two official languages, high importance is placed on English in the Kenyan school system. Since the Gachathi Report took effect in 1976 and reformed Kenya's school system, all Kenyan schools teach Kenyan school children to read and write English from pre-school until Standard 3. Starting in Standard 4, students are taught solely in English, with the exception of Kiswahili classes or other language classes. All national examinations in Kenya are written and conducted in English. These examinations are instrumental to students’ futures, as they determine what class level the student will be placed in, acceptance into college programmes, and even obtaining jobs. The only accommodations provided for deaf students is a 30-minute extension during their exam. Kenyan universities do not provide interpreters for their deaf students. Due to the heavy emphasis placed on English skills, efforts to maximise deaf students’ exposure to English have ensued in the hopes that it will better prepare them for their examinations and subsequently ensure better futures and job opportunities. This centrality of English in Kenya is one major motive behind the implementation of inclusive education in Kenyan schools.
English Language in the Kenyan School System and its Effects on the Use of KSL Schoolchildren must become proficient in English because of the emphasis on it in Kenyan education and examinations, meaning thorough knowledge of English grammar is essential. Since Kenyan Sign Language holds its own grammar, deaf students taught in KSL are considered to be at a disadvantage.
As an attempt to incorporate more exposure to English into deaf education, aid these students to become proficient in English grammar, and make learning to read and write in English more feasible, suggestions have been made to enforce the use of Signed Exact English.