The school's location, some 25 kilometres from Kisumu city, is the subject of a years-long conflict between the neighbouring Luo and Banyore communities of Kisumu Rural constituency in Kisumu county and Emuhaya constituency in Vihiga county with each claiming not just the school but the nearby university and trading centre.
The Equator passes right through the school, acting as a divider between some classes and dormitories. A popular saying among students and alumni is that of "sleeping in the Southern hemisphere and going to school in the Northern hemisphere".
History of the school
Maseno National School was established in 1906 by the Missionaries of the Church Missionary Society (CMS) as a school for the children of African chiefs. CMS' successor, the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) remains the current sponsor of the school, overseen by the Diocese of Maseno South.
The first administrator of the school was Reverend James Jamieson Willis fondly remembered as J.J Willis. Willis House, a dormitory in the school, is named in his honour.
In 1905, Willis was sent to explore the Kavirondo or lake region of Kenya as a prospective place for the establishment of a mission. After touring the area Willis pitched tent under a Hickory tree (Carya ovalis) known in the local languages as oseno (Luo) and omseno (Luhya). That particular place was proposed to be the site of the new mission with land being donated by Chief Ogola Ayieke[1] and later in August 1908, a chapel, the Rock of Ages, also known as St. Paul's Chapel was built next to the tree.[2]
The place became known as Maseno and it is where, in 1906, the missionaries established Maseno School. The first students were six sons of African chiefs. They were Simon Ndinya, Onduso, Odindo, Owiti, and the late senior chief Yonah Orao.[3][4]
The establishment of the school in the area attracted youthful boys from all over Western Kenya. Besides reading and writing, students were taught various skills such as carpentry, tailoring, printing, building, telegraphy and clerical work.
As such, during the school’s first few years, there was a student protest. It was organized and led by Daniel Ojijo Oteko, a student who believed that the African students were receiving the bare minimum education. He received the support of his fellow students in what would go down in the history of the school as the first ever protest. Until 2017 when students stormed out of class to protest the interdiction of then principal Paul Otula,[5][6][7][8] it had remained the only case of student unrest at the school. Oteko's wishes would be granted when a formal curriculum – like the one in the European schools in other parts of the country – was introduced in 1910. Ojijo Road in Nairobi is named for Ojijo Oteko.[9]
Teacher training was introduced in 1920 to train teachers who would in turn teach new students. This is what happened, for instance, to BA Ohanga, later the first African to be appointed a minister in the colonial government, who was prevailed upon by Edward Carey Francis to go back to the school and teach. Those who studied at the school were tested at the end of their courses and awarded certificates.
The colonial hangovers depicting the school's early history are still visible to-date. The hut that Jaramogi Oginga Odinga built during his time as a teacher at the school in protest of a silent policy that had white teachers getting the best houses with views of the Lake Victoria and black African teachers being assigned the north-facing staff houses overlooking the Mabungo hills, still stands.[10]
Perhaps Maseno School's greatest contribution to the local area's growth has been the growth of the institution that occupies some of its land: Maseno University. The university is a result of the merger of Siriba Teachers College and the Government Training Institute. The former, had been established to train teachers who, in the colonial days, ended up at Maseno School.
The school celebrated its centennial in 2006 with the climax of the centenary celebrations being a visit to the school by then President Mwai Kibaki on 5 December 2006.[11]
Maseno School today
Most of the old structures built in the early 20th century still stand to-date even though a number of new modern ones have since been put up to keep up with the times and handle the burgeoning student population.
The school's dormitories are currently named after notable personalities in the country as well as alumni and former head teachers. A famous alumni, the late Festo Habakkuk Olang', the first African archbishop of the Anglican Church of Kenya, is remembered with the presence of Olang' House in the school. Kenya's slain Foreign Affairs minister Dr Robert Ouko also has a dormitory named after him, Ouko House.
Previously, the school's dormitories had been named after the CMS missionaries who had pioneered the school, including the white principals. For example, the missionary work of Archdeacon Walter Edwin Owen[12][13][14] is immortalised in the school with the presence of Owen House. Ugandan Anglican evangelist Apolo Kivebulaya had a dormitory named after him that would later be known as Mayor House. As did Bishop Heywood and Bishop Alfred Robert Tucker.
The school routinely has a good showing in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) nationwide and is consistently ranked highly in its various categories: as a public school and as a national school.[15]
In recent years, the school has had to grapple with a surging student population and has seen a high number of candidates enrol for national exams as well as similarly high numbers of form one admissions.
The school's sponsor, the Anglican Church of Kenya, is represented on the school's board of management by the Bishop of Maseno South Diocese. Day-to-day, the bishop is represented in the school by the school chaplain.
The school hosts one of the most prestigious mathematics contests in the country every year.[16][17]
The school has a vibrant alumni community that gives back through the Maseno Old Boys Association (MOBA)[18] and has been involved in various charitable causes[19] as well as infrastructure development.
The current Principal is Peter Owino, formerly of Baringo National School. Owino took over from Andrew Buop who was posted to the United States to serve in the country's diplomatic mission as an education attache.[20]
List of Maseno School Principals
Reverend James Jamieson Willis, popularly known as JJ Willis (1906 - 1911)
Reverend Albert Edward Pleydell (1913 - 1917)
Reverend Canon John Britton (1917 - 1926)
Reverend Harold Stone C Hitchen (February - December 1926)
Canon Dr John Stansfeld (1926 - 1928)
Edward Carey Francis (1928 - 1940)
Arthur William Mayor (1940 - 1950)
Bertram Lindsay Bowers, popularly known as BL Bowers (1951 - 1969)
UA Wessler (1969 - 1973)
William Melchizedek Okech (1973 - 1975)
JT Ogweno (1976 - 1980)
EJ Were (1980 - 1981)
RK Siele (1982 - 1985)
Walter John Okumu Amadi (1986 - 2001)
Paul Agali Otula (2001 - 2017)
Andrew Odhiambo Buop (2017 - 2022)
Peter Owino (2022–present)
Notable Administrators
Over the years, Maseno School has been led by influential head teachers who are remembered today in the school by way of various buildings named after them.
Canon John Stansfield, was a doctor and clergyman.[21] Stansfield implemented various reforms which included variation of diet and helped construct a swimming pool at the mission. The swimming pool which has since disappeared, was the only one of its kind in East Africa. It was situated near a grove by two streams flowing down Bunyore hills.
HC Hitchen was the shortest-serving principal at Maseno School with his tenure lasting just 10 months before he left to start what is now Butere Girls.
Edward Carey Francis, came to Kenya as a missionary and teacher from Cambridge UK and the colonial office helped secure him a job as headmaster at Maseno School in December 1927. His illustrious administration of Maseno School attracted other teachers from Cambridge and the school became an academic oasis in East Africa. Francis headed Maseno School from 1928 to 1940, when he left to become the principal at Alliance High School in Kikuyu.[22] Carey Francis famously caned his then student and Kenya's future first Vice-President, Oginga Odinga, for stealing paraffin, as outlined in the latter's autobiography.[23] He is fondly remembered by many elderly Kenyans today for his no-nonsense approach to teaching and administering. While at Maseno, his students nicknamed him Achuma, meaning 'man of steel'.[24] The Edward Carey Francis Memorial Library in the school is named after him.
BL Bowers,[25] who served for 18 years as principal remains the longest-serving head teacher in the history of the school. It is during his time that the school's dining hall, which remains in use to-date, was built and commissioned.[26] Bowers House, for a long time the only storied building in the school, stands in his honour today.
WM Okech was the first African/black principal of Maseno School.
Walter Amadi was a long-serving principal throughout the 90s and the annual Amadi Open Tournament[27] (also variably named the Maseno Open tournament[28]) held at the beginning of the year in the school is named in his honour. Amadi House, a dormitory in the school, is also named after him.
Paul Agali Otula, who served as the principal from the year 2001 is widely credited with restoring the school's lost glory in the decade and a half he was at the helm of the school, establishing the school as a formidable force to reckon with in all disciplines:[29] academics and extra-curricular activities. In his time, the school won national, regional and continental championships in hockey, rugby and basketball with its students joining various national teams. He is credited with introducing Aviation Technology in the school,[30] borrowing from his previous work station,[31]Mang'u High School, where had served as the principal prior to his Maseno posting. Paul Otula Complex, a dormitory popularly known as "POC" by the students and the latest at the school, is named after him.
Thomas R. Odhiambo (4 February 1931 – 26 May 2003), a Kenyan entomologist and environmental activist who directed research and scientific development in Africa
David Musila, politician (ex-MP, former Deputy Speaker) and administrator
JD Otiende, politician (served in Kenya's first cabinet as a minister)[33]
John Nyagarama, politician (served as the first Governor of Nyamira county)
Moody Awori, politician (served as Kenya's 9th Vice-President) - from Maseno where he did his junior secondary school, Awori headed to Mang'u High School, the school many associate him with today
Benaiah Apollo Ohanga, the first black African to be appointed minister in the colonial era government
Maseno School prides itself in producing wholistic students and this can be seen in the number of alumni who are active in various disciplines out of class. Over the years, the school has produced outstanding sportsmen, innovators and many more. The school offers a variety of co-curricular activities including debating and public speaking, sports (rugby,[39] hockey, basketball,[40] football, badminton, swimming, table tennis, lawn tennis, handball, volleyball, etc), science fairs,[41] etc.
The Kenya African National Union (KANU) is a Kenyan political party that ruled for nearly 40 years after Kenya's independence from British colonial rule in 1963 until its electoral loss in 2002. It was known as Kenya African Union (KAU) from 1944 but due to pressure from the colonial government, KAU changed its name to Kenya African Study Union (KASU) mainly because all political parties were banned in 1939 following the start of the Second World War. In 1946 KASU rebranded itself into KAU following the resignation of Harry Thuku as president due to internal differences between the moderates who wanted peaceful negotiations and the militants who wanted to use force, the latter forming the Aanake a forty, which later became the Mau Mau. His post was then occupied by James Gichuru, who stepped down for Jomo Kenyatta in 1947 as president of KAU. The KAU was banned by the colonial government from 1952 to 1960. It was re-established by James Gichuru in 1960 and renamed KANU on 14 May 1960 after a merger with Tom Mboya's Kenya Independence Movement.
Jaramogi Ajuma Oginga Odinga was a Kenyan politician who became a prominent figure in Kenya's struggle for independence. He served as Kenya's first vice-president, and thereafter as opposition leader. Odinga's son Raila Odinga is a former prime minister, and another son, Oburu Odinga, is a former assistant minister in the Ministry of Finance.
Kisumu is the third-largest city in Kenya after the capital, Nairobi, and Mombasa. It is the second-largest city after Kampala in the Lake Victoria Basin. The city has a population of slightly over 600,000. The metro region, including Maseno and Ahero, has a population of 1,155,574 people according to the 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census which was conducted by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics.
Maseno University is a public university based in the Maseno district of the Kisumu County, Kenya, along the Equator. It was fully fledged as a university in 2001, after being a constituent college of Moi University for a decade. It has over 10,000 students pursuing programmes offered in the university campuses and it is currently ranked among the best universities in Kenya.
The Luo of Kenya and Tanzania are a Nilotic ethnic group native to western Kenya and the Mara Region of northern Tanzania in East Africa. The Luo are the fourth-largest ethnic group (10.65%) in Kenya, after the Kikuyu (17.13%), the Luhya (14.35%) and the Kalenjin (13.37%). The Tanzanian Luo population was estimated at 1.1 million in 2001 and 3.4 million in 2020. They are part of a larger group of related Luo peoples who inhabit an area ranging from South Sudan, southwestern Ethiopia, northern and eastern Uganda, southwestern Kenya, and northern Tanzania.
Kisumu County is one of 47 counties in the Republic of Kenya. Its borders follow those of the original Kisumu District, one of the former administrative districts of the former Nyanza Province in western Kenya. Its headquarters is Kisumu City which is the third largest city in Kenya after the capital Nairobi and the coastal city of Mombasa. It has a population of 1,155,574. The land area of Kisumu County totals 2085.9 km2.
Bethwell Allan Ogot is a Kenyan historian and eminent African scholar who specialises in African history, research methods and theory. One of his works starts by saying that "to tell the story of a past so as to portray an inevitable destiny is, for humankind, a need as universal as tool-making. To that extent, we may say that a human being is, by nature, historicus.
Ramogi Achieng Oneko (1920–2007) was a Kenyan freedom fighter and a politician. In Kenya, he is considered as a national hero.
Oburu Ng'ong'a Oginga is a Kenyan politician who is currently serving as senator for Siaya County, having been elected in the elections of August 2022. He is an immediate former member for the East African Legislative Assembly, based in Arusha Tanzania. He is the former assistant minister for finance in the 2008 Grand Coalition government and former Member of the Parliament, Kenya.
The Kenya People's Union (KPU) was a socialist political party in Kenya led by Oginga Odinga. The party was banned in 1969.
Wilson Ndolo Ayah was a Kenyan politician. He served as Foreign Minister from 1990 to 1993 during Kenya's return to a multi-party system of governance. Wilson Ndolo Ayah served in the government of Daniel Arap Moi as minister from 18 August 1987 when he was first appointed Minister for Research Science and Technology. He was also a beneficiary of the Kennedy Airlifts.
The Kisumu massacre occurred when the presidential guard and police forces shot and killed several civilians in Kisumu Town, the capital of Nyanza Province in Kenya. This took place on 25 October 1969. The official death toll from government sources stands at 11 fatalities but other sources place this number at closer to 100. Victims included women and children, some of whom were shot 30–50 km away from the epicentre of the riots. According to media reports, the government of the day attempted to cover up the extent of the massacre.
Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST) is a public university in Bondo in Siaya County, Kenya. It is named after Kenya's first vice-president Jaramogi Oginga Odinga.
Festo Habakkuk Olang’,was born in Ebusakami Esabalu village about 1914 In 1925 he began attending Kisumu Primary School, then called Komulo School. In 1927, he sat for the Common Entrance Examination at Maseno School and was admitted in 1928. He studied there for three years but found it quite a traumatic experience to be away from home, having to conform to the school regulations and dress code. However, he was greatly helped and influenced by the headmaster of Maseno School and famous mathematician, Mr. Edward Carey Francis. Olang’s faith in Jesus Christ grew and was strengthened under his guidance and, like many of the 300 boys at the school, Olang’ taught at Sunday schools in the area each Sunday, after learning how to give the lesson under Mr. Francis’s tutelage each week. Olang’ taught Luhya speaking groups and was also encouraged to plant trees around the village churches.
George Albert Omore Magoha was a Kenyan consultant surgeon, academic administrator and technocrat, who served as a Professor of Surgery at Maseno University's School of Medicine, in Kisumu County as from 17 January 2023 till his death.
In GeneralKombewa is a town in Western Kenya, located 35 km west of Kisumu City, along Kisumu-Bondo road, in Seme, the sub-county of Kisumu County.
Kondele is a district of the city of Kisumu, the third largest city in Kenya, and the second largest city, after Kampala, in the Lake Victoria Basin. Kondele is the most densely populated of the three satellite towns of Kisumu metropolitan region, the others being Maseno and Ahero. It is Kisumu City's most notable region and cultural identifier and one of the most densely populated regions in Kisumu County, Kenya. It lies on the A1 road that connects Kisumu and Vihiga. The town is administered by the Kondele County Assembly ward, an administrative ward which is part of the wards that represent Kisumu Central constituency in Kisumu county assembly. The ward is represented by the Kondele Member of County Assembly.
Ochola Ogaye Mak'Anyengo, also known as George Philip Ochola (1930–1990) was a Kenyan trade unionist and Member of Parliament for Ndhiwa, South Nyanza, Kenya. He was involved in the fight for Kenya's independence and was a beneficiary of the Mboya-Kennedy airlifts.
The Luo Union was a welfare organisation formed in Nairobi, Kenya, in the early 1920s. This organisation sought to create, expand and govern a general cultural identity among Luo people in East Africa. Luo people are a Nilotic ethnic group native to western Kenya and the Mara Region of northern Tanzania in East Africa. The Luo Union was one of several welfare organisations started during the colonial period in East Africa which aimed at building broad cultural unity. This organisation played a crucial role in creating a collective sense of identity and unity amongst Luo people after the Second World War. It was also an important medium of grassroots political support for African Nationalist movements in the 1950s. The Luo Union FC was the unions soccer club. This club would later become Gor Mahia FC, one of Kenya's best performing football clubs.
↑ B, Barrett, David (1878–1945). "Owen, Walter Edwin". Dictionary of African Christian Biography. Retrieved 4 February 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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