Njiiri School is a boys boarding school located in Kigumo, Murangá county.
Njiiri Boys School Mission: To effectively impart holistic knowledge and skills, nurture talents, promote sefreliance and mould responsible citizens who will be competitive and productive in the society, through quality teaching, learning and guidance.
School Motto: Free to Serve.
Vision: To be an icon of excellence in Kenya.
Contacts:
Location: Kigumo Sub county, Muranga Kenya Email: info(@)njiirischool.(sc.ke )
+254 789 888 880
History of Njiiri School
The Thought and Necessity of starting Njiiri School was born in the year 1952 – through the initiative of the late Ex-Senior Chief Njiiri Wa Karanja. The School is situated in Kigumo Sub-County of Murang’a County, then known as ‘Fort Hall District’ in the Central Province of Kenya. It was the ‘first high school’ – ever to be established in the district.
During the late 1940s’ and early 1950s’ the late Ex- Senior Chief Njiiri wa Karanja who was the area Chief of Location 2, where the School is situated, requested the District Commissioner, Fort Hall, to start a “Government African Secondary School” (GASS) – for boys in the district. This was because Murang’a had none, while neighbouring Kiambu had Alliance & Mang’u, and Nyeri had Kagumo & Nyeri high schools. His request was granted – subject to availability of a suitable site anywhere in the district. This, in effect, meant going around the whole District from Kangema, Kiharu, Kandara/Gatanga and Kigumo for the search of available land.
Search for the School Site
Four Senior Chiefs in the district namely, Michuki Njoroge, Ignatius Murai, Ndung’u Kagori and Njiiri Wa Karanja were provided with the D.C’s Land Rover and a driver. They travelled the whole day; eventually ending up at the present school site – (Kihaaro Kia ‘Ndumo’ na Baraza ya Chief ) – not far from Chief Njiiri’s home – late in the evening. That far, they had not found/agreed on any site as yet. Through persuasion of Chief Njiiri (who was the oldest in the team), they unanimously settled for the ‘final site’ as the most suitable for a school. Their recommendation was forwarded to the D.C. thereafter. Early in the year 1952, the District Commissioner gave the go-ahead for the building works to commence so as to admit the first Form One class the following year. A team of building construction ‘Apprentices/trainees’, from Thika Technical & Trade School of the Native Industrial Training Depot (N.I.T.D) was dispatched to the site to start construction works. Two Staff-houses, a Classroom block and a Dormitory for 25 boys were nearing completion by October 1952 – when, the then Governor of the British Colonial government, Sir Patrick Renison, declared the ‘State of Emergency’ due to the Mau Mau Movement – culminating in a vicious fight between freedom-fighters and the government. Consequently, the site and buildings were converted to a ‘Home-guards’ base/camp during the seven years Mau Mau war period. When tension eased-off after the Emergency period, the original idea of the school was revived and building works re-commenced during the second-half of mid -1957.
The School Opened:
In January 1958, the Pioneer-class of 25 boys was admitted to Form One. To receive and teach the 25 students during the first term were only 2 teachers – Mr. & Mrs. Sanderson. Mr. Peter Sanderson was the first Headmaster of the School. Two graduate teachers from Makerere University College; James King’ang’i Njoroge, (‘Early-man’) – History and Nicholas Gichure Kimani, (‘Calorie’) – Science respectively; {as nicknamed by the boys} were posted to the school during the 2nd term. Mr. Njoroge’s wife, Liz Nyambura, joined the school as a Mathematics teacher during the 3rd term and so did Timothy Gathungu – Geography teacher. The second intake of 60 boys joined the school in 1959. Njiiri’s High School was officially opened, on 26th January 1959 by the then Chief Native Commissioner (C.N.C), Mr. W.F. Coutts, together with Ex-senior Chief Wa Karanja, (M.B.E) – and whose name – the School was given in his honour. Later, the School’s name was changed from ‘Njiri’s’ to “Njiiri School” in the mid- 1980s.
The 3rd and 4th intakes were in lots of 60 boys in 1960 and 1961. The ‘Pioneer Class’ sat for the Cambridge Oversees School Certificate Examination (C.O.S.C.E) in 1961. Since then, the School has grown in status and by numbers from a single-stream of 25 to 8-streams of 1,600 students, over 70 Teachers & 55 non-teaching staff. Those who have gone through the institution are close to 15,000.
