Where actress Brenda Wairimu and Kenya's first female marine pilot chewed bones

Brenda Wairimu and Inset Kenya’s first female marine pilot Elizabeth Marami who are alumni of Mama Ngina Girls High School

Mama Ngina Girls High School, named after former First Lady, Ngina Kenyatta is located in Mombasa County.

The school started on January 25, 1988 with a view to utilise the former Mama Ngina Hostel after the phasing out of ‘A’ levels , following the advent of the 8-4-4 system.

The girls’ boarding national school seats on a 1.85 acre-piece of land, and has since 1991 produced over 1,177 students with 850 qualifying for university admission.

The school, which is nicknamed ‘Beaver,’ is famed for its prowess in drama and music festivals.

It has produced a number of notable television actresses.

It was also in Beaver that Kenya’s first female marine pilot, Elizabeth Marami, was schooled.

Here she chewed hot ugali and two potatoes as special diet, and dressed in a white blouse and dark purple pullover and skirt.

The school churned out actresses like Mali’s Brenda Wairimu (who was index number one), Saida Show’s Victoria Muthigi, Habibu’s Elizabeth Mashaka and Tahidi High’s Zawadi. Others are in Nira, a new TV drama.

Here The Standard Group sub-editor Ashley Lime, TV journalist Fatma Pole and Sheki FM’s Barbara Makanga recited the “Education is Inspiration” motto, and took advice from the principal, Mrs. Samba Rassul.

The favourite dish is ugali and meat on Saturdays only — the bones were left for Form Fours. The alumni recall the jostling at the dining hall, shouting at cooks Peter and Mother Mandole for more meat and soup.

With little space for major co-curricular activities, the students have been actively involved in wildlife, cookery, Red Cross and Ranger Guide clubs.

Alumni like Binti Mwallau, senior consultants at PriceWaterHouseCoopers and Deloitte Human Resource Officer, Emily Mghanga, slept in Amani House and Umoja House dorms.