Kitui School, formerly Campbell Academy, was established by the colonial government as a primary school in 1909 near the Kitui Police Station.
Between 1938 and 1939, the school was moved to its present site and later became known as the Campbell Academy in honor of Provincial Commissioner Campbell, who supported its development.
By 1942, it was firmly established, with girls in attendance, and became a boarding school in 1949 with the addition of dormitories.
In 1957, it was upgraded to a full secondary school, with the first O-Level graduates in 1960.
Kitui school developed into a high school offering Forms 5 and 6 in 1971, until 1980, when it reverted to a 1-4 system.
Known as a top-performing, competitive national school with a strict, disciplined culture, the school has produced prominent Kenyans who have gone on to hold influential positions in politics, law, governance, and public service. They include former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, retired Chief Justice Willy Mutunga, Leonard Mambo Mbotela, and scholar Makau Mutua.
Influential Kenyans Who Studied at Kitui School
Kitui school has nurtured many people, some of whom remain unforgettable in Kenya. The following are Kenyans who attended Kitui School.
Kalonzo Musyoka
Kalonzo Musyoka studied at Tseikuru primary school between 1972 and 1973 and later attended Kitui high school for his O levels from 1968 to 1971.
In 1972, he enrolled at Meru High School for his A-levels.
Kalonzo later joined the University of Nairobi and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in law in 1977, after which he received his diploma at the Kenya School of Law in 1978.
He later received a postgraduate diploma in business management at the Mediterranean Institute of Management in Cyprus in 1981.
In 1983, Kalonzo Musyoka contested for the Kitui North Constituency parliamentary seat but lost. He would later clinch the seat in a by-election held in 1985.
From 2008 to 2013, he served as the 10th vice president of Kenya under the late retired president Mwai Kibaki.
Previously, Kalonzo served as the Secretary of the Kenya African National Union party, Assistant Minister for Works, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1993 until 1998, and Minister of Education under the late, retired president Daniel arap Moi.
Afterwards, he served under the late President Mwai Kibaki as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2003 to 2004, and then as the Minister of the Environment from 2004 to 2005.
Kalonzo is currently the leader of the Wiper People’s Front.
Willy Mutunga
Former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga attended Ithookwe Primary School before proceeding to Kitui School for his Kenya Certificate of Education exams.
Between 1971 and 1974, he obtained a bachelor’s degree in law and a master’s degree from the University of Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, and a PhD from York University (Osgoode Hall Law School) in Toronto, Canada in 1992.
He taught law at the University of Nairobi, where he was also Secretary-General of the University Staff Union.
In addition, he served as chairman of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), Executive Director of the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), and Executive Director of Kituo Cha Sheria – Legal Advice Centre.
Mutunga also served as the 13th Chief Justice of independent Kenya. He is a Kenyan lawyer, intellectual, and reform activist who also served as the Commonwealth Special Envoy to the Maldives.
Mutunga was also the first Chief Justice to be appointed competitively and publicly under the new Constitution (2010), with the mandate to serve as the first President of the newly established Supreme Court.
Makau Mutua
Distinguished Law professor Makau Mutua began his educational journey at Kitui School and later joined Alliance Boys High School.
He attended the University of Nairobi in 1979. However, he obtained his law degree from the University of Dar-es-Salam in 1983 and enrolled in a master’s program at the same university in 1984.
Also Read: Babu Owino, Eric Omondi, and Other Prominent Kenyans Who Attended Kisumu Boys High School
Later, in 1985, he moved to Harvard Law School, where he graduated with a master’s degree for the second time.
In 1987, he graduated with a doctorate in law from Harvard University.
He began his teaching career at the University of Dar-es-Salam where he taught international trade from 1983 to 1984.
Makau also taught at the University of Puerto Rico School of Law, San Juan, the University of Iowa College of Law, and Harvard Law School.
Leonard Mambo Mbotela
Veteran radio presenter Leonard Mambo Mbotela attended Kitui High School for his secondary education.
His passion for broadcasting was ignited by listening to notable broadcasters like Simon D’Souza and Steven Kumu Joho.
Mbotela’s career took off when he joined Voice of Kenya (now KBC) in 1964, where he immersed himself in the craft of broadcasting, learning on the job and excelling without a formal university degree in the field.
In 1966, he launched “Je, Huu ni Ungwana?”, a groundbreaking program focused on etiquette and behaviour that became immensely popular across Kenya.
Mbotela went on to serve at the Presidential Press Unit, between 1984 and 1991, where he had direct interactions with then-President Daniel Arap Moi, enhancing his stature in Kenyan media circles.
Afterwards, he returned to KBC, where he continued as a producer and announcer, solidifying his legacy in Kenyan broadcasting.
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