Turkana County Trains 30 Education Leaders to Transform Learning for Refugee and Local Children
Lodwar, 4 May 2026
Over 30 Early Childhood Development coordinators in Turkana County have completed intensive training on inclusive education practices, preparing to revolutionise learning across 500+ centres. The five-day programme, delivered jointly by the County Government, Humanity & Inclusion, and Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, focuses on accommodating diverse needs including refugee populations from Kakuma and Kalobeyei camps. Training covered infrastructure modifications like door widths and ramp designs that directly improve accessibility. Coordinators will now cascade this knowledge to teachers under their supervision, ensuring no child is left behind in Kenya’s second-largest county.
Training Programme Details and Scope
The comprehensive training programme, completed on 4 May 2026, brought together Early Childhood Development Education coordinators from sub-county and ward levels across Turkana County [1]. The initiative represents a collaborative effort between the Turkana County Government, Humanity & Inclusion (HI), and the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) to establish systematic inclusive education standards [1]. David Ochieng, Head of the HI Kakuma field office, emphasised that these coordinators will function as trainers of trainers, cascading knowledge to officers under their supervision across the county’s extensive network of ECDE centres [1].
Infrastructure and Curriculum Integration
The training programme placed significant emphasis on practical infrastructure modifications that directly enhance educational accessibility. Stephen Muhoro of KICD highlighted that the curriculum covered approved designs and detailed measures to integrate accessibility into school infrastructure, noting that evidence demonstrates how small changes like door width adjustments, stair and ramp designs, and proper spatial utilisation directly improve inclusion [1]. The programme addressed comprehensive guidelines for these physical adjustments, moving beyond traditional content delivery approaches to encompass disability mainstreaming and environmental modifications [1].
Addressing Regional Challenges and Population Diversity
The timing of this training initiative coincides with rapidly evolving educational needs in Turkana County, which spans 77,000 square kilometres as Kenya’s second-largest county and northwesternmost region [1]. The training specifically addresses emerging challenges around the inclusion of refugee and cross-border populations, reflecting the county’s role as host to both Kakuma and Kalobeyei refugee camps [1]. This demographic complexity necessitates educational approaches that accommodate diverse cultural backgrounds, languages, and learning experiences within the same classroom environments.
Implementation Strategy and Future Impact
Participants acknowledged that the training fundamentally shifted their understanding of inclusive education beyond mere lesson delivery. Trainee David Omakada noted that whilst most people traditionally consider ECDE centres solely in terms of content delivery, the programme revealed broader concerns including disability mainstreaming and environmental accessibility modifications [1]. The training occurs amid a rapid increase in ECDE centre numbers and mass recruitment of entry-level teachers, positioning the county to implement systematic inclusive education standards across all 500+ centres [1]. The coordinators expressed commitment to adopting these new approaches and providing ongoing support to colleagues under their supervision, establishing a sustainable framework for long-term educational transformation.