GOODWILL MESSAGE TO THE ALLIANCE HIGH SCHOOL
ON YOUR CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS (1926 – 2026)
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth (3 John 4)
The entire family of the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) heartily congratulates you as you celebrate 100 years of consistently delivering on your core mandate with an unwavering focus on your mission. As the first school to provide secondary school education to native Kenyans, you have indeed been Strong to Serve!
We in the NCCK are extra proud of your centenary celebration, being humbled every time we reflect back on the small mustard seed that God has enabled to grow into a mighty tree that has fed and nurtured our nation for 100 years. Your humble beginnings have not stopped Alliance High School from dominating the education sector in Kenya as a persistent high performer and producer of outstanding men who continue to serve this nation. Over the last 100 years, this school has received boys and transformed them into men who have given political, medical, scientific, religious, and social leadership to our nation.
What, then, has enabled Alliance High School to remain so consistently successful over the years?
In Acts Chapter 16: 6 – 10, the Bible records one of the greatest mission-redirects in human history. This is the time Paul tried to preach in Asia, but the Holy Spirit blocked him and instead redirected him to Macedonia. The gospel was then successfully preached in modern-day Europe. Similarly, the Alliance High School is the product of one of the great re-directions in the history of our nation.
Historically, the organization known as NCCK today was established in June 1913 under the name Federation of Missionary Societies in British East Africa. In 1918, the organization underwent a name change from the Federation of Missions (founded in 1913) to the Alliance of Protestant Missions. The membership in 1918 consisted of the four founding missionary organizations that had signed the 1913 constitution and continued as the core members through 1918. The four member missions in 1918 were:
- Church Missionary Society (CMS) — today the Anglican Church of Kenya
- Church of Scotland Mission (CSM) — today the Presbyterian Church of East Africa
- United Methodist Mission (UMM) — today the Methodist Church in Kenya
- African Inland Mission (AIM) — today the Africa Inland Church
One of the initiatives by the Alliance was the formation of a medical board which had a singular vision of establishing a college where Africans would be trained to serve as medics. The Church of Scotland Mission offered 100 acres from its land at Kikuyu for this purpose.
After countless hours in many meetings, the board developed structural, governance and administrative plans, including the syllabus and training schemes. In 1921, the Alliance secured a grant of £5,000 from the East African War Relief Fund for Natives, and in 1922 was offered £10,000 by Mr Ernest Carr. Construction of the institution commenced, and the Standing Committee of the Alliance directed that training at the College should commence on February 19, 1924. However, this did not happen. After all the stretched-out frustration, the Alliance in May 1925 passed a resolution to drop the scheme to start a medical college, and instead to start a High School at Kikuyu immediately.
Now, it is important to understand the background context of that time. In the early colonial era, when the British administration insisted that Africans did not need education beyond the most basic level, Protestant missionaries united to challenge this injustice. Led by Dr. John Arthur, they pushed for Africans to have full access to primary, secondary, and even tertiary education, a struggle that contributed to the Devonshire White Paper of 1923 affirming Africans’ right to quality learning. Recognizing that no secondary school existed for Africans despite this policy breakthrough, the Alliance of Protestant Missions to build one themselves, driven by the conviction that education was essential for producing leaders who would uplift their communities.
Upon a request by the Alliance, the government authorized the diversion of the buildings from being a college to being a high school. On his part, Mr Carr, a prominent industrialist and settler, withdrew the offer of a £10,000 grant, though he later donated £500 to the school.
It is against this background that Alliance High School was opened on March 1, 1926 in a ceremony presided over by Dr JH Oldham, and Mr GA Grieve as the first principal. Alliance High School, the first to open doors to African boys, admitted 16 students on the day it was opened.
Today, we can indeed celebrate that God re-directed our forerunners from establishing a college to founding this great institution. Can you imagine all the leadership, innovation, and greatness our nation would have missed if we did not have Alliance High School?
We in the NCCK watch on a daily basis, with pride and gratitude to God, the transformative success of this school which remains a beacon of the impact of ecumenism movement in our nation.
We congratulate the school administration who have remained focused on the vision of this school. We congratulate the teachers and support staff who tirelessly create an enabling environment for academic excellence to take root and thrive. We congratulate all the students of Alliance High School, both current and former, who have devotedly been Strong to Serve.
Indeed these centenary celebrations are a moment for us all to do what the Bible tells us in Psalm 105 : 1
“Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done”.
It is our prayer that over the next 100 years, Alliance High School will continue to shine; Alliance High School will continue to prosper; and Alliance High School will continue to fulfill the mission of transforming boys into men who are Strong to Serve.
Thank you.
Rev Canon Chris Kinyanjui
GENERAL SECRETARY
Photos: AHS Football teams during a competition, 1926; Mr Grieves and the first class when the school opened on March 1, 1926; A view of classrooms at the Kikuyu Mission Center, 1926
