Digital StoryTime (DST) Season 1, which first aired on KICD EDU Channel TV in 2020 at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, is now broadcast on Akili TV and eKitabu’s YouTube channel. It has garnered millions of viewers, consistently registering over 6 million weekly viewers on Akili TV alone. This represents a significant achievement for the advancement of inclusive education.
Building upon the demonstrable success of Season 1, DST has received both national and global recognition. In 2024, DST was honoured with the Digital Accessibility and Assistive Technology Innovation Award by inAble at the Inclusive Africa Conference. In 2025, it received a nomination for the prestigious Digital Publishing Award. Subsequently, it won the award in the Product and Business Model category for its transformative impact on the education of children who are deaf across Africa. The winners were officially announced at the Frankfurt Book Fair. On 23 September, the International Day of Sign Languages, eKitabu formally launched Season 2 of DST on Akili TV with the broadcast of the inaugural episode. The complete collection of Season 2 episodes will soon be available on eKitabu’s YouTube channel.
Season 2 offers enhanced engagement, featuring newly developed stories, dynamic narration presented in Kenyan Sign Language (KSL), and interactive comprehension questions designed to stimulate curiosity and deepen understanding. This material is specifically designed to assist early-grade learners develop their vocabulary, literacy skills, and an appreciation for narrative. Season 2is also broader in scope, superior in quality, and more inclusive, incorporating image descriptions to cater to learners with diverse needs. DST continues to advance critical objectives: reaching all early-grade learners, supporting government initiatives in digital learning, improving literacy rates, and broadening inclusion. Season 2 represents more than a mere continuation—it constitutes a significant advancement in making learning accessible, enjoyable, and empowering for every child. It is now also presented in a new format: an application accessible via the web or downloadable from Microsoft Store. We encourage you to explore this new resource.
For those who have not yet watched Season 1, this is an opportune moment to do so. As preparations are finalized to upload Season 2 to eKitabu’s YouTube channel, we invite you to review the 38 episodes from Season 1, each of which was meticulously created to reach learners who may have lacked access to regular instruction during periods of school closure. These episodes are not only entertaining and informative, they also stand as a testament to inclusive innovation through Studio KSL, an eKitabu initiative established in 2018 with foundational support from All Children Reading: A Grand Challenge for Development (USAID, World Vision, and the Australian Government).