National Games
The regional special needs education games for the Persons with Disabilities for primary and secondary schools will be held in Kericho County for three days starting from July 27 to 30.
The games which have attracted 14 counties in the Country will include four disciplines namely the Visually impaired, mentally handicapped, hearing impairment and the physically challenged. Speaking to KNA in his office Thursday, the Kericho County Director of Education (CDE) Mr Julius Ngoneshi said that Kericho County is privileged to host the games for the second time having hosted the same event successfully in 2015.
Mr Ngoneshi said the participants who will be arriving on Friday and will be hosted in four villages; the Kipsigis girls, Kericho boys’ high school, Moi tea girls and Kericho tea boys. The participants will be accommodated in the four schools according to the discipline they are participating in to minimize movements from venue to venue and to reduce time wastage to allow the participants have enough time for preparations and rehearsals.
The CDE further divulged that the National Special needs education games for primary and secondary schools will also be held in Kericho County from August 2 to 7. Mr Ngoneshi said that the games for the physically challenged will attract over 1200 participants who also will include over 2000 staff, officials and games managers making a total of over 3000 people to be hosted in the County.
Mr Ngoneshi mentioned that they have enough facilities set in place for both boys’ and girls’ during the special need’s education games, noting that the facilities in the four schools will enable them to actively participate and enjoy the games.
“We have had meetings with relevant officers in the Health Department to provide an ambulance on standby and other necessary medical personnel to help the competitors owing to their fragile physical nature during the games,” Mr Ngoneshi said.
The CDE said that they have sent out requests to financial institution, business communities, multinational tea estates and cooperative societies to support the games financially and in kind, acknowledging Imarisha Sacco which has been very supportive during such events. He called upon other organisations to assist the participants with donations such as bottled water, nutritional biscuits, glucose, sodas, bread and sanitary for the participants
Mr Julius said that there were many benefits the participants will gain during and after the exercise noting that the games will help to expose physically challenged learners to acknowledge that they are also able and can even perform even better than the normal colleagues or friends. This, he observed, will also serve as eye opener to the community to accept persons living with disabilities.
“Some participants may even reach the Olympics level despite their challenges enabling them to assist their families in future. This SNE games will help to advocate disability mainstreaming in the community.” added Mr Ngoneshi. Despite the challenge of cold weather and rain in the county which may make it difficult for the physically challenged to actively participate actively during the SNE games, measures will be put to ensure their welfare and to make the games successful.