September is Deaf Awareness Month!
September 24: Kenyan Sign Language & Deaf Education Gain Visibility Across Africa
Kenya Sign Language (KSL) is the primary language used by culturally Deaf people across Kenya and is taught in schools for the deaf as a medium of instruction and as a subject since 2010. Deaf education in Kenya has historical roots in mission and community schools established from the late 1950s onward, with institutions like Mumias, Nyang’oma, Kambui and others playing central roles in schooling Deaf children. While KSL remains dominant, schools have seen increasing influence from Signed Exact English (SEE) and Glossed English—practices that affect how younger learners use and transmit KSL.
Kenyan deaf organizations and initiatives support language learning and advocacy: national groups such as the Kenyan National Association of the Deaf (KNAD) and interpreter associations work alongside university research projects and training efforts to strengthen KSL resources and teacher materials. Despite progress (dictionaries, digital resources, and plans for university courses), KSL has not yet received formal legal recognition and faces challenges from mainstreaming, limited accredited interpreter training, and reduced opportunities for children to acquire natural KSL at home and in school.
African Sign Languages Resource Center: africansignlanguagesresourcecenter.com/kenya/