The Kenyan Institute of Special Education (KISE) trains teachers for special needs education. Teachers can apply for either diploma or certificate courses. The diploma course is offered as either a full-time residential course (two years) or as a distance-learning course (three years). The certificate courses are offered as a residential in-service course (three months) or as a distance learning course (one year).

The diploma course trains teachers in special needs education for "persons with Hearing Impairment," "persons with Visual Impairment," "persons with Physical and Health problems," and "persons who are Intellectually Different (Mentally Handicapped)."

From KISE's founding until 2003, it had issued diplomas in Special Needs Education to 741 teachers, and certificates to 3,214 teachers. KISE reported that in 2003, approximately 5,700 teachers were then enrolled in the distance-learning programme.

Machakos Teachers Training College also trains teachers in special needs education.

Kenyatta and Maseno Universities provide Bachelor's degree courses in special needs education. Kenyatta University also offers post-graduate degrees. In 2003, these universities reported they had trained around 300 teachers.

The University of Nairobi offers only a unit of Special Needs Education in its Bachelor of Education programme. It also offers a diploma in Audiology.

The 2003 Task Force found that there were around 4,225 teachers trained in special needs education. It estimates that there were approximately 1.8 million potential learners who have special needs. If all such students would be enrolled, the average class ratio would be 425 learners: 1 trained teacher in special needs education.

The Task Force estimated that only about 20% of teachers in special needs education programmes had been trained in special needs education. Aside from Maseno University, the Task Force said that most SNE teachers had too low of a proficiency in KSL.

It also noted that there were too few people with disabilities in the teaching profession itself.

References:

"Report of the Task Force on Special Needs Education Appraisal Exercise," Kenyan Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, November 2003. Chairman: Dr. Edwards Kochung.

"Schools for the Deaf and the Visually Impaired in Kenya," Kenyan Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. (undated)

"Special Needs Education Handbook for Quality Assurance and Standards," Kenyan Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, July 2005.