KISE Begins Disbursing Airtime Allowance to Teachers in Ongoing Online Special Needs Training
NAIROBI, 24 September 2026: The Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE) has started disbursing the first phase of the airtime and data allowance to teachers taking part in the ongoing seven-day online training on special needs education.
The first payment of Ksh 1,500 will reach eligible teachers through their M-Pesa lines this evening.
The payment is the first of two tranches. KISE will facilitate each participating teacher with Ksh 500 per day for the seven days of the training, to help cover airtime and data bundles while they attend virtual sessions.
Supporting teachers to stay connected
The training is part of the Special Needs Education component that KISE is implementing under the Kenya Primary Education Equity in Learning Program (KPEELP).
It is being delivered online, and every session depends on a stable internet connection. For many teachers, especially those in rural and hard-to-reach areas, the cost of data is a real barrier to taking part in virtual learning.
The allowance is meant to remove that barrier. Ksh 500 a day for seven days gives each teacher a total of Ksh 3,500.
That should let them join each session, follow the presentations, take part in discussions and complete any assigned activities without worrying about running out of bundles.
How the payment will be made
KISE will release the facilitation in two tranches, each covering a set number of training days.
First tranche: Ksh 1,500 for the first three days. This covers the first three days of the training, at Ksh 500 per day. KISE will disburse it by the end of Thursday, 24 September 2026. Eligible teachers will receive it on their registered M-Pesa lines this evening.
Second tranche: Ksh 2,000 for the remaining four days. This covers the last four days of the training. KISE will disburse it at the end of the training on Sunday, 27 September 2026.
The two tranches add up to the full Ksh 3,500 that each eligible teacher is entitled to over the seven days.
Who qualifies for the allowance
The allowance is not open to everyone who logs into the training. KISE has said the airtime and data facilitation will only be provided to teachers who were officially appointed by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) County Directors and whose details were submitted through the contacts shared by the respective County Directors.
This follows the nomination process KISE set out earlier in a memo to the counties. Under that process, County Directors were asked to nominate 15 teachers from each Sub-County: 10 from Regular Primary Schools and 5 from Special Schools or Units.
They were to submit each teacher’s name, TSC number, school, category (Regular or Special), M-Pesa mobile number and email address.
Payments will be made using the mobile numbers submitted through that process. A teacher whose details were not shared by the County Director, or who joined the training without official nomination, will not be on the payment list.
Background: the KPEELP special needs education component
KISE’s training programme is designed to strengthen how schools identify and support learners with special needs.
Its objective is to improve teachers’ skills in the identification and basic screening of learners with special needs.
Early identification is one of the most important steps in making sure that children with disabilities and learning difficulties get the support they need, and it is often missed in ordinary classrooms.
The programme has two groups of participants:
- 100 Trainers of Trainers (ToTs), who are currently undergoing training.
- 4,800 teachers drawn from Regular Primary Schools and Primary Special Schools.
The 4,800 teachers are being trained online from 21st to 27th September 2026, with daily sessions running from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM.
The evening timing lets teachers finish their normal school day before joining, so the training does not take them away from their pupils.
Why the online model matters
Online delivery lets KISE train thousands of teachers across all counties at the same time, without the cost and logistics of bringing them together in one venue.
A teacher in a remote Sub-County can take part in the same session as a colleague in a major town. Teachers also do not have to leave their schools or travel long distances.
The model has a cost, though, and teachers usually bear it themselves. Live video sessions use a lot of data, and two hours a day for seven days can add up.
By providing a daily allowance, KISE is meeting part of that cost so that connectivity does not decide who gets to learn.
The mix of teachers in the programme also reflects its aim. Nominating both Regular Primary School teachers and Special School or Unit teachers brings people from different classroom settings into the same training.
Teachers in regular schools are often the first to notice that a learner is struggling, so building their screening skills is central to inclusive education.
What teachers should do
Teachers taking part in the training are advised to:
- Check their M-Pesa lines this evening for the first tranche of Ksh 1,500.
- Make sure the M-Pesa number they submitted is active and registered so the payment is not delayed.
- Keep attending every session. The training runs daily from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM until 27th September 2026, and the allowance is intended to support that attendance.
- Expect the second tranche of Ksh 2,000 at the end of the training on 27th September 2026.
- Raise any payment concern through their TSC County Director. Payments are based on the contact lists that County Directors submitted, so any error in a teacher’s name or number will need to be corrected through that channel.
A step toward more inclusive classrooms
The training is a significant investment in the capacity of Kenya’s primary school teachers to serve every learner.
By combining a structured online curriculum with practical support for connectivity costs, KISE and its partners under KPEELP are trying to make the training as accessible as possible.
Special needs education is often described as under-resourced, and its success depends largely on the confidence and skills of teachers in the classroom.
A teacher who can recognise the early signs of a hearing, visual, intellectual or learning difficulty, and who knows the basic screening steps, can help a child get support years earlier than they otherwise might.
Training 4,800 teachers to do this across the country could have a lasting effect on how schools support learners with special needs.
KISE has urged all nominated teachers to make full use of the remaining days of training. The second tranche of the facilitation will be disbursed at the close of the programme on 27th September 2026.
Key facts at a glance
- Total facilitation per eligible teacher: Ksh 3,500 (Ksh 500 per day for 7 days)
- First tranche: Ksh 1,500 for the first 3 days, disbursed by the end of 24th September 2026, via M-Pesa
- Second tranche: Ksh 2,000 for the remaining 4 days, disbursed at the end of the training on 27th September 2026
- Eligibility: Teachers officially appointed by TSC County Directors and whose details were submitted through the contacts shared by those Directors
- Training dates: 21st to 27th September 2026, online, 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM daily
- Participants: 4,800 teachers from Regular Primary Schools and Primary Special Schools, plus 100 Trainers of Trainers
- Programme: Special Needs Education component of the Kenya Primary Education Equity in Learning Program (KPEELP)