Starehe Boys Centre and School
Encyclopedia
Starehe Boys' Centre and School (popularly known as "Starehe") is a partial-board,
boys-only school in Nairobi
, Kenya
. The school was founded in 1959 by Dr. Geoffrey William Griffin
, MBS
, OBE, Geoffrey Gatama Geturo and Joseph Kamiru Gikubu. It started as a rescue centre. Starehe and Brookhouse School are the only African schools south of the Sahara
and north of the Limpopo
distinguished as Round Square
members.
The entrance process uses results from the national KCPE
exams and prefers to award school places to those who show academic potential.
The school is governed by a Managing Committee chaired by Jimmy Mugerwa, Country Chairman of Kenya Shell and BP, the school's main sponsors since its inception.
Candidates are judged according to need and parental income and their performance in the national KCPE
examinations. Selection is solely on merit.
, assisted by Joseph Gikubu, and Geoffrey Geturo. Its genesis was the earlier State of Emergency
declared by the Governor of Colonial Kenya during the 1952 Mau Mau Uprising
and the resultant overflow on to the streets of poor and destitute Mau Mau orphans.
The first 17 boys entered the school from Kariokor Rescue Centre, Nairobi
, and it was established in two tin huts donated by Kenya Shell and BP in 1959. After a few months it moved to its current location at Starehe, Nairobi.
The name "Starehe" is Swahili for 'Tranquility', 'Peace', or 'Comfort', signifying a place where orphaned boys could find solace in its humble beginnings. It is also the name of the place in which the institution is situated.
The school is a member of the international Round Square
school organization, offering education to children from diverse backgrounds, many of whom are poor.
is blue short trousers and red shirt, worn with a black tie and blazer
or wind-breaker.
Links with the country and the community are maintained, with a monthly vacation spent in voluntary service to the community, either in hospitals, clinics, dispensaries or government offices, or any other institution that the students deem fit. This is referred to as the Voluntary Service Scheme, and is a way of giving back to society.
Starehe hosts an annual football grudge match against Lenana School
immediately before Founders' Day Dinner.
Students perform daily duties that include cleaning their dormitories and the school compound as well as classes and laboratories.
Commoners are divided according to year. Those in Form One and Two are Junior Boys, Form Three and Four are Senior boys.
When corporal punishment was legal in Kenya, only the Director was allowed to use the cane
at Starehe. This was so that he kept abreast of all serious offences in the school.
Dr. Griffin took issue with the government's ban on caning, saying the government was bowing to international pressure and that little thought had been given to the implications. It would lead to an escalation in indiscipline and a decline in educational standards, he said.
boys-only school in Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
. The school was founded in 1959 by Dr. Geoffrey William Griffin
Geoffrey William Griffin
Dr. Geoffrey William Griffin was the founding director of Starehe Boys' Centre and School. He founded the school in November, 1959 with the help of the late Geoffrey Geturo and Joseph Gikubu, the current senior deputy director of the school; he directed the school from its founding to the end of...
, MBS
MBS
MBS may stand for:* Maha Bodhi School, a school in Singapore* Mainichi Broadcasting System, television and radio broadcaster in Osaka, Japan* Manchester Business School, business school at the University of Manchester...
, OBE, Geoffrey Gatama Geturo and Joseph Kamiru Gikubu. It started as a rescue centre. Starehe and Brookhouse School are the only African schools south of the Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
and north of the Limpopo
Limpopo
Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. The capital is Polokwane, formerly named Pietersburg. The province was formed from the northern region of Transvaal Province in 1994, and initially named Northern Transvaal...
distinguished as Round Square
Round Square
The Round Square Conference of Schools is a worldwide association of more than 80 schools that allows students to travel between schools,tour foreign countries, involve themselves in community service and discover cultures along the way.-History:...
members.
A charitable institution
Starehe Boys' Centre and School educates at least 70% of its students free, and the rest at a reduced rate. This stems from its founding charter as a charitable school. School fees are paid on a means-tested basis, with substantial subsidies paid by the school, so that students from all walks of life are able to have a public school education that would otherwise be beyond their means.The entrance process uses results from the national KCPE
KCPE
KCPE is an abbreviation for Kenya Certificate of Primary Education, a certificate awarded to students after completing the approved eight-year course in primary education in Kenya. The examination is supervised by the Kenya National Examination Council , an examining body in Kenya under the...
exams and prefers to award school places to those who show academic potential.
The school is governed by a Managing Committee chaired by Jimmy Mugerwa, Country Chairman of Kenya Shell and BP, the school's main sponsors since its inception.
Admissions
Admission of students is by open competitive examination. Each year about 20,000 applications are received; only 210 are selected to join the student body and about 6 places are left for very needy situations where the applicant might not have found a chance to apply but is still merited.Candidates are judged according to need and parental income and their performance in the national KCPE
KCPE
KCPE is an abbreviation for Kenya Certificate of Primary Education, a certificate awarded to students after completing the approved eight-year course in primary education in Kenya. The examination is supervised by the Kenya National Examination Council , an examining body in Kenya under the...
examinations. Selection is solely on merit.
History
Starehe Boys' Centre was the result of the vision of Geoffrey William GriffinGeoffrey William Griffin
Dr. Geoffrey William Griffin was the founding director of Starehe Boys' Centre and School. He founded the school in November, 1959 with the help of the late Geoffrey Geturo and Joseph Gikubu, the current senior deputy director of the school; he directed the school from its founding to the end of...
, assisted by Joseph Gikubu, and Geoffrey Geturo. Its genesis was the earlier State of Emergency
State of emergency
A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend some normal functions of the executive, legislative and judicial powers, alert citizens to change their normal behaviours, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. It can also be used as a rationale...
declared by the Governor of Colonial Kenya during the 1952 Mau Mau Uprising
Mau Mau Uprising
The Mau Mau Uprising was a military conflict that took place in Kenya between 1952 and 1960...
and the resultant overflow on to the streets of poor and destitute Mau Mau orphans.
The first 17 boys entered the school from Kariokor Rescue Centre, Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
, and it was established in two tin huts donated by Kenya Shell and BP in 1959. After a few months it moved to its current location at Starehe, Nairobi.
The name "Starehe" is Swahili for 'Tranquility', 'Peace', or 'Comfort', signifying a place where orphaned boys could find solace in its humble beginnings. It is also the name of the place in which the institution is situated.
The school is a member of the international Round Square
Round Square
The Round Square Conference of Schools is a worldwide association of more than 80 schools that allows students to travel between schools,tour foreign countries, involve themselves in community service and discover cultures along the way.-History:...
school organization, offering education to children from diverse backgrounds, many of whom are poor.
Traditions
The school uniformSchool uniform
A school uniform is an outfit—a set of standardized clothes—worn primarily for an educational institution. They are common in primary and secondary schools in various countries . When used, they form the basis of a school's dress code.Traditionally school uniforms have been largely subdued and...
is blue short trousers and red shirt, worn with a black tie and blazer
Blazer
A blazer is a type of jacket. The term blazer occasionally is synonymous with boating jacket and sports jacket, two different garments. A blazer resembles a suit coat cut more casually — sometimes with flap-less patch pockets and metal buttons. A blazer's cloth is usually durable , because it is an...
or wind-breaker.
Links with the country and the community are maintained, with a monthly vacation spent in voluntary service to the community, either in hospitals, clinics, dispensaries or government offices, or any other institution that the students deem fit. This is referred to as the Voluntary Service Scheme, and is a way of giving back to society.
Starehe hosts an annual football grudge match against Lenana School
Lenana School
Lenana School is a high school in Nairobi, Kenya. It was formed in 1949 by colonial governor Philip Euen Mitchell in 1949, known then as the Duke of York School...
immediately before Founders' Day Dinner.
Accommodation
Students take cold showers, a staple of the school since its inception. Starehe's education places emphasis on academic excellence as well as duty and discipline. An inscription at the Assembly Hall entrance reads "the path of Duty is the way to Glory".Students perform daily duties that include cleaning their dormitories and the school compound as well as classes and laboratories.
Discipline
Starehe follows a rank-based prefect system. A student may become a prefect from the second year at the school but never are full prefects. They only bear the rank of sub-prefect and are so confirmed during assembly where the Director announces their promotion. Promotion through the ranks is assessed by School Prefects (normally referred to as House Captains), who form the Cabinet of the School. Any potential prefect is vetted by the Cabinet, which consists of the School Prefects, the School Captains and the Director.Commoners are divided according to year. Those in Form One and Two are Junior Boys, Form Three and Four are Senior boys.
When corporal punishment was legal in Kenya, only the Director was allowed to use the cane
Caning
Caning is a form of corporal punishment consisting of a number of hits with a single cane usually made of rattan, generally applied to the offender's bare or clothed buttocks or hand . Application of a cane to the knuckles or the shoulders has been much less common...
at Starehe. This was so that he kept abreast of all serious offences in the school.
Dr. Griffin took issue with the government's ban on caning, saying the government was bowing to international pressure and that little thought had been given to the implications. It would lead to an escalation in indiscipline and a decline in educational standards, he said.
Notable alumni
- Prof. George Magoha - Viagra co-Researcher and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nairobi
- Josphat Mwaura - CEO, KPMGKPMGKPMG is one of the largest professional services networks in the world and one of the Big Four auditors, along with Deloitte, Ernst & Young and PwC. Its global headquarters is located in Amstelveen, Netherlands....
East Africa - Raphael TujuRaphael TujuRaphael Tuju, EGH is a Kenyan politician and a Presidential Candidate in Kenya’s forthcoming general elections. With a successful background in the private sector, Tuju joined politics in 2002 and has served the Government of Kenya in various capacities since that time.His most recent appointment...
- former Minister of Foreign Affairs - Peter KennethPeter KennethPeter Kenneth is a Kenyan politician. He hails from the massive Mbari ya Muhuni family of Kirwara Sub-location of Gatanga Contituency in Murang'a County.- Education :...
- former Assistant Minister for Monetary, Fiscal & Investment Affairs, Ministry of Finance - Paul ErengPaul ErengPaul Ereng is a former Kenyan athlete, and the surprise winner of the 800 metres at the 1988 Summer Olympics.Born in Kitale, Trans-Nzoia, Kenya, Paul Ereng attended Starehe Boys Centre and School in Nairobi, Kenya. He was a promising 400 m runner until the end of 1987...
- Olympic Gold Medallist - 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics - Julius Kipng'etich - Director of the Kenya Wildlife ServiceKenya Wildlife ServiceThe Kenya Wildlife Service, otherwise known by the initialism KWS, is a Kenyan state corporation that was established in 1990 to conserve and manage Kenya’s wildlife...
- Gurracha Galgallo - former Assistant Minister, Ministry of Health. Died in a plane crash (he was actually a former Shaw House captain)
- Kinuthia MuruguKinuthia MuruguKinuthia Murugu was Permanent Secretary of Youth and Sports affairs in Kenya.- Early life and navy career :As a youth, Murugu participated in Scouting activities while at Starehe Boys Centre and School. Later he studied at University of Nairobi and graduated with Bachelors degree in commerce...
- Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth and Sports - Joshua Ngugi - Vice President, Students Organization of Maseno Universtiy