Mulango Girls High School: Where students enjoyed inspiring sermons from the chaplain
Mulango Girls was started in 1955 by the African Inland Mission (AIM) in Wikililye sub-location in Kitui County, first as a primary school. It later was turned into a girls’ intermediate boarding school in 1959 and two years later, it was converted to a girls secondary school under Miss Joyce A Taylor, a Canadian missionary, who served for as its principal for 20 years.
The first cohort of Form Ones was admitted in 1963 with second and third streams being introduced three years later. Between 1978 to 1989, the school had an A-Level class studying arts subjects, including home science, dressmaking and cookery.
The now prestigious school was made an SMSE (Strengthening Mathematics and Science Education) Centre in 2001 and selected as a STEM (Science, Technical, Engineering and Mathematics) model centre in 2017.
Currently, Anastasia Musila is the principal of the school, which is ranked as an extra county institution with a population of 1,200 students. The official school uniform comprises of green skirts and jungle green sweaters, white blouse and green with white stripes ties.
Apparently, the skirts should not go below the knees while heads were covered with headscarves.
Many girls at “Lango” as it is fondly nicknamed, recall enjoying ‘Nzenga’, a traditional ground maize meal with beans served with rice on Fridays for supper by Mwinzi Muli, the cook.
For cheeky students, the worst punishment involved cleaning the dining hall if found guilty of going for a second helping. Splitting three wheelbarrows of firewood was another dreaded punishment for those who sneaked to the shops outside the school compound.
The first school bus nicknamed ‘Combi’ was fitted with two rear doors before another one christened “Mutanu Waitu” (Our Happiness) was bought and which the girls rode to and from music and drama festivals besides heading out for outings at Kitui High School organised by Mengo ‘Mkora’, the biology and geography teacher.
Her brother schools were St Charles Lwanga and Kitui High for which they rivaled with St Angela and Muthale Girls. Many girls have fond memories of the school chaplain Rev Stella Mwiti and her inspiring sermons. The girls had issues with senior electrician named Kamusingo, whose sin was switching off lights after preps.
Notable alumni still guided by the motto “Faith, Excellence and Service” include Edith Malombe, wife to first Kitui governor Julius Makau Malombe, who is also the school’s board chair; and Susan Mbinya Musyoka and Jane Wanjuki Njiru, former Woman Reps of Machakos and Embu respectively.
Others who loved cooling under trees next to the administration block are Kathini Maloba, Secretary general, Kenya Women Workers; Lilian Mumbe, education expert and educator; Kitui Central Politician, Beth Mutunga Kalunda Syengo, also vice chair, National Council for Nomadic Education in Kenya; Ruth Mulanda, chairperson, Maendeleo ya Wanawake Kitui County; and Dr Carolyne Hunja, lecturer, South Eastern Kenya University Department of Life Sciences.
Others who retired to Meru, Embu, Mwea, Mwingi and Kitui dormitories and later Mt Elgon, Ruwenzori, Kilimanjaro, and Suswa include Florence Nzembi Kimaitu, lecturer in human and social development at Technical University of Kenya; Cecilia Nyambura, lecturer, Department of Educational Psychology at Kenyatta University where Christine Mbuve is Chairperson of the Department; and Gladys Kaingi, Secretary, Department of Archaeology at University of Nairobi.
