President William Ruto presided over the centenary celebrations for the Alliance High School. During the event, the president launched various projects that will boost the teaching and learning programme at the premier institution. He launched the Solarisation Programme for Basic Education Institutions. The countrywide initiative seeks to cut the cost of energy in schools. According to Ruto, the project will also expand access to clean and reliable power and unlock the potential to generate up to 150 megawatts of solar energy. Here is the president’s full speech:
“Distinguished guests, Members of the Alliance community, Ladies and gentlemen,
Very few institutions are privileged to mark 100 years of continuous existence. Fewer still do so while remaining faithful to their founding ideals. Alliance High School stands tall among that rare and distinguished company.
Across the world, the institutions that endure – those that outlast leaders, outlast generations, and outlast the fleeting trends of the day – share a defining trait: They are anchored in values that do not bend with every passing season.
A century ago, Alliance High School, or Bush as it is fondly known, began as a bold and visionary experiment, an effort to educate African boys to the highest possible standards, with character as its firm foundation.
Subsequently, generation after generation, the influence of this great institution has permeated every sphere of life in our communities, across our nation, and far beyond.
From the outset, Alliance was not designed merely to teach generations of young men what to think. Rather, it endeavoured to teach them how to think and, more importantly, how to stand for themselves, to cherish their families, to protect their communities, and to contribute meaningfully to the progress of our country and, indeed, of humanity.
Lessons from The Alliance Story
There is much that we, as a nation, can learn from the Alliance story. At the core of this institution’s century-long endurance stands a powerful triad of values that has guided and sustained it through every season.
First is the value of being guided by high standards that are non-negotiable. From the very beginning, Alliance set the bar high and kept it there. The founders of this great institution understood an enduring truth that ambition without standards is merely an illusion.
This is a lesson we must take seriously, and to heart. For far too long, we have often made an uneasy pact with mediocrity, settling for the average and, at times, choosing to go along, simply to get along. That must change.
If Kenya is to realise her full potential, we must demand the highest possible standards of ourselves in our classrooms, the public service, enterprise, citizenship, and in every aspect of our lives.
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The second lesson we draw from this great institution is that, on any day, discipline beats brilliance, and hard work trumps talent. This is perhaps one of the most profound principles Alliance has imparted to its students over the years.
And we know this to be true far beyond the classroom. Talent is abundant in every generation. Ideas are plentiful in every decade. As a nation, we have produced development plans in copious volumes from the Sessional Paper No. 10 of 1965 all the way to Vision 2030.
Kenya has never lacked ambitious development blueprints. What has often been tested is the discipline required to execute them consistently, diligently, and faithfully.
It is precisely for this reason that, over the past three years, we have deliberately focused on implementing, chapter by chapter and line by line, the commitments upon which the people of Kenya entrusted this administration.
Some of these decisions have not been easy. Indeed, had we listened only to the voices of caution, some of the progress now visible across our country would not have been possible.
Today, in every part of Kenya, the skyline is steadily changing as thousands of affordable housing units rise and families transition from sub-standard conditions to modern, dignified homes.
In the health sector, nearly 30 million Kenyans are now covered under the Social Health Authority, a significant expansion from the previous system, bringing the promise of universal health coverage closer to reality for millions of households.
In agriculture, our deliberate shift toward supporting food production, rather than merely subsidising consumption, is strengthening Kenya’s food security. At the same time, reforms in the education sector are restoring stability to institutions of higher learning while advancing the successful transition to the Competency-Based Education system.
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These interventions have not always been popular. But they have been necessary, and their impact is increasingly becoming evident in the lives of ordinary Kenyans.
The third lesson we draw from Alliance School is the uncompromising pursuit of excellence, the discipline to give our very best even when no one is watching, and when no one is pushing us. This is the highest expression of character.
True excellence is neither situational nor episodic. It is habitual. It is who you are when supervision is absent and when recognition is uncertain.
If Kenya is to realise her full potential, if we are to build a nation that is truly great, then we must recommit ourselves, deliberately and without hesitation, to the quiet but demanding virtues that have built enduring institutions such as this one.
We must commit to higher standards that we refuse to dilute. Discipline that we practice consistently. And excellence that we pursue faithfully.
Symbols of collective pride
Dear Busherians,
Allow me to make one additional observation. National institutions such as Alliance High School are enduring symbols of our collective pride and shared aspiration. Like our great public universities, they have been nurtured, strengthened, and preserved through the collective will, sacrifice, and commitment of generations of Kenyans.
These institutions, therefore, do not belong to any one individual or group. Irrespective of where they are situated, they belong to all Kenyans, and it is our shared responsibility to protect their legacy, uphold their standards, and ensure that they continue to inspire excellence for generations to come.
To the Alliance community – past, present, and future – I extend heartfelt congratulations. As we look ahead to the next century, may this great institution continue to remind us, and to prove, that what is built on enduring values can indeed stand the test of time. And may you all live up to the school motto: Strong to Serve. I thank you.”
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