Simon Munga was born into a poor family with a farmer dad and a sickly mom. Most of his father’s meagre income went towards meeting his mother’s medical costs and feeding the large family. For Simon, going to an elite school seemed like an unlikely dream, but his innate intelligence and personal drive earned him a place at Starehe Boys School—an event that completely changed the trajectory of his life.

Starehe Boys School is a place that values merit over money, and because many of the brilliant students at the school are unable to meet the cost of the education, they are fully sponsored by the institution. The Kenyan government provides roughly 40 percent of the school’s funds, and the rest of the budget comes from school fees and donations. Consequently, Starehe is not only a school for the needy. As Principal Paul Mugo points out: “We also have boys from other backgrounds, and some of them are well to do. When needy kids come here, they quickly realize that any disadvantages they have can be easily wiped out with hard work, and this is a great boost to their self-esteem.”

For Simon, that boost of confidence was just what he needed to develop his academic abilities. “When I came to Starehe, I was very meek and shy. I feared everyone. I was encouraged to work hard in class, as well as interact with others. Then I was made a prefect. Being entrusted with that role showed me that I had leadership qualities. It changed me completely,”he says. Nestled between the open-air Kariokor Market and a maternity hospital, Starehe is hardly the place from which you would expect academic giants to emerge. Yet for the past 60 years, the school has produced crop after crop of brilliant young men, including notables such as Former Assistant Minister Rapahel Tuju and Kinuthia Murugu, Permanent Secretary inistry of Youth and Sports.

To Principal Mugo, the Starehe experience is about a lot more than just academic excellence. His goal is to teach the children duty, discipline and service—skills that enable them to reach even greater heights in the classroom, as well as in life. Service to the community is taught through the school’s Voluntary Service Program (VSP), which students take part in at various points of their academic journey. VSP lets the students experience the value of community service and hard labour by sending them out as volunteers in places like health clinics and factories. It is through this program that a former student at Starehe, Videlis Kamoni, found his calling.

Videlis, now a medical representative with international medical giant Novartis Group, says the VSP is what convinced him to pursue the career he is in today. “During my time at Starehe, I took part in the VSP twice, during my school holidays— once at a community clinic and then at a factory. Working at the clinic really opened my eyes to the real world. I saw real people, who were ill and needed help. I got a chance to work with them. In the end, that experience really nfluenced my decision to study Biochemistry at Moi University,” he says. Another “old boy”, Standard Business reporter Morris Aaron, attended Starehe as a sponsored student. He says his time there taught him the value of hard work and instilled in him a work ethic that resonates in his career, even today.

“All the boys, there were remarkably intelligent and there was always lots of healthy competition. In fact, just one mark could make the difference between you being number five and number 15. So, you couldn’t just sit back because you were clever. We had to work really hard and study. That instilled a good work ethic and perseverance in all of us.”

A closer look at Starehe’s history helps one better understand why discipline and hard work are core values. It was founded in a dark period in Kenyan history, when the Mau Mau waged a guerilla war to gain independence from Kenya’s colonial occupier. Their slogan at the time was “Mzungu arudi ulaya, mwafrika apate uhuru”, meaning, “White man, go home, let the black man be free.” However, the founding fathers of Starehe remained either deaf or indifferent to this slogan, as they came together—one white and two black men—to open a rescue centre for orphans.

Now, six decades and numerous benefactors later, the school has managed to preserve the values on which it was founded. Simon tells me, with a huge grin, that he is optimistic about the future. He reveals that he is about to complete a subsidized diploma program in IT at Starehe Boys College—and that he has also been accepted to university to study economics. “I am sure,” he insists, “ that what I have gained at Starehe will help me change the face of my family in a few years.”

As I drive out of Starehe, I can’t help but equate the teachers at Starehe to the alchemist. An ancient scientist, bending over his worktable, brewing a protoscientific stew of chemistry, metallurgy and physics to turn a block of lead into pure refined gold. Because, in its own way, that’s exactly what Starehe is doing. It’s an institution that takes needy boys, creates a stable, structured environment for them, and equips them with the skills and the opportunities to create a better life for themselves and their families.

I leave the school feeling as though I have seen a glimpse of greatness—no blinding lights, no vestiges of grandstanding, just the Wonder Boys and teachers of Starehe.

For more information on Starehe Boys Centre, email info@ stareheboyscentre.ac.ke, call +254 020 6761 221 or visit www.stareheboyscentre.ac.ke