Alliance Girls’ High School (AGHS) was founded in 1948 by the Alliance of Protestant Missions in Kenya and is one of the oldest high schools in Kenya.
The founding of AGHS marked the beginning of a new phase in the education of African girls and women in Kenya.
Over the years, the school has remained nationally renowned for its continued academic excellence and for producing well-rounded students.
Graduates of AGHS have proven that a well-rounded educational experience lays a strong foundation for later success in all areas of life.
Today, the alumni can be found occupying vital positions and playing key roles in virtually all sectors of Kenya’s social, economic, and political life.
Therefore, the following are some of the women who have studied at Alliance Girls’ High School: Lucy Kibaki, Dr. Sally Kosgei, Nyiva Mwendwa, and Charity Ngilu.
Prominent Kenyan Women who attended Alliance Girls Highschool
Below is a summary of how Alliance Girls’ High School has produced prominent women.
Lucy Kibaki
Lucy Kibaki was the former First Lady of Kenya from 2002 to 2013.
She attended Alliance Girls High School from 1953 to 1956.
Lucy was among the early cohorts admitted to the school, which was at the time the only national secondary school for African girls in Kenya.
After secondary school, she trained as a teacher at Kamwenja Teachers’ College in Nyeri.
Lucy Kibaki spent several years in the education sector before her husband, Mwai Kibaki, rose to high political office.
She worked as a tutor at Kamwenja Teachers’ College and later at Kambui College in Kiambu.
Also Read: Prominent Kenyans Who Studied at Maranda High School
Lucy later rose to the position of Principal at Kambui College, but in 1963, she quit her professional teaching career to focus on raising her family and supporting her husband’s political career.
She was the former First Lady of Kenya from 2002 to 2013.
Nyiva mwendwa
Nyiva attended Alliance Girls High School and earned a diploma from the University of Nairobi.
She later pursued higher education in the United States at Cornell University, where she obtained a master’s degree in Textile Science and Interior Design.
On May 9, 1995, Nyiva was appointed the Minister for Culture and Social Services, becoming the first woman to serve as a cabinet minister.
From 1974 to 1992, she was elected MP for Kitui West Constituency three times, and in 2002, she represented NARC.
Nyiva was the first Kitui County Woman Representative in 2013.
Charity Ngilu
She attended Alliance Girls for her Secondary education and sat her exam in 1972.
Ngilu then went to Kianda College and Government Secretarial College, where she trained in Management and Secretarial Studies.
In 1975, she joined the Kenya Institute of Administration and graduated as a certified secretary.
Her passion for education did not end there, as she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in leadership and management from St Paul’s University.
She entered politics in 1992, when she was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Kitui Central on the Democratic Party (DP) ticket. She would hold this position for 20 years.
In 1997, she joined the Social Democratic Party and became the first woman in sub-Saharan Africa to vie for president.
Also Read: Influential Women Who Attended Kenya High School
Sally Kosgei
She began her education at Serem and Aldai Primary Schools before joining the prestigious Alliance Girls’ High School, where she completed her secondary education in the mid-1960s.
In 1970, she enrolled at the University of Dar es Salaam, then a hub for Pan-African intellectualism and political thought.
Lucy graduated in 1974 with a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science, studying alongside future African leaders, including Jakaya Kikwete, who would later become President of Tanzania.
Her academic excellence earned her a scholarship to Stanford University in the United States. There, she pursued graduate studies in African History, earning a Master of Arts in 1975 and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in African Economic History in 1980.
From 1981 to 1985, she served at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, assigned to the Kenya Mission to UN-Habitat in Nairobi.
In 1985, Sally Kosgei was appointed Consul at the Kenya High Commission in Zimbabwe.
She was later appointed Permanent Representative of the Kenya Mission to UNEP, where she represented Kenya in multilateral environmental diplomacy.
From 1986 to 1992, Dr. Kosgei served as Kenya’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, during the premiership of Margaret Thatcher.
In the mid-1990s, she returned to Kenya and was appointed Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, becoming the second female Permanent Secretary in independent Kenya after Margaret Githinji.
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