Maseno School was founded in 1906 by missionaries from the Church Missionary Society (CMS) as a school for the sons of African chiefs, making it one of Kenya’s oldest educational institutions.
Notably, Rev. James Jamieson Willis pitched a tent under a hickory tree (locally known as oseno in Dholuo and oluseno in Luhya) to serve as the first classroom.
Initially, the school admitted six sons of local chiefs, following a model similar to one used in Uganda. Over time, the institution attracted boys from across western Kenya and beyond.
Maseno, in its early years, offered vocational training in carpentry, tailoring, masonry, printing, telegraphy, and clerical work. A chapel named ‘The Rock of Ages,’ later known as St. Paul’s Chapel, was also established adjacent to the oseno tree in the same year.
A major turning point came in 1910 when students, led by Ojijo Oteko, staged a protest demanding more academic rigor. This led to the introduction of a formal curriculum.
In 1920, a teacher-training course was introduced, laying the foundation for the future Siriba Teachers’ College, which in 1990 merged with the Government Training Institute to become Maseno University. Around 1935, a veterinary school and a nursing training center were also set up in Maseno.
Over the years, Maseno School has produced notable graduates who have risen to prominence in society, politics, education, and business. They include Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, Barack Obama Snr, Achieng Oneko, and John Nyagarama.
Notable Kenyans Who Studied at Maseno School
The following are the notable alumni of Maseno School.
Jaramogi Oginga Odinga
Oginga Odinga joined Maseno School in 1926 after primary education at Maranda.
After attending Alliance High School and Makerere University, he returned to Maseno as a Mathematics teacher from 1940 to 1942 and later became headmaster of the Maseno Veterinary School.
His strong connection to the school is recognized, as a house at Maseno National School is named after him.
From 1964 to 1966, Oginga Odinga served as the first Vice President of Kenya under President Jomo Kenyatta.
Also Read: Meet the Powerful Kenyan Women Educated at Alliance Girls’ High School
Achieng Oneko
Achieng’ Oneko attended Maseno School in 1936, after completing his early education at Chieda Sector School.
After Maseno, he became a journalist, using the media to advocate for change and co-founding organizations such as the Luo Thrift and Trading Corporation (LUTATCO) to empower Africans.
He served as Nakuru Town’s first Member of Parliament and, after independence, Kenya’s first Minister for Information, Broadcasting, and Tourism.
On October 20, 1952, he was arrested alongside Jomo Kenyatta and four other nationalists in the wake of the Mau Mau uprising and the declaration of a State of Emergency by the British colonial government.
In 1961, he was released two years before Kenya gained independence.
Oneko was later imprisoned again by Jomo Kenyatta’s government in 1969 following a political fallout and was released in 1975.
Barack Obama Snr
Barack Obama Snr, the father of the United States’ 44th President Barack Obama, attended Maseno National School from 1950 to 1953.
Obama Sr. was expelled from Maseno after an anonymous letter detailing food and teacher issues was traced back to him, despite his academic success.
In 1959, he was selected to study in America, becoming the first African student at the University of Hawaii, and he aimed to bring modern economic skills back to Kenya.
Also Read: Maseno University: Courses Offered, Fees, Location and Campuses
Obama Snr worked as a government economist in Kenya, serving in the Ministry of Transport and later in the Ministry of Finance as a senior economist.
In 1965, he published “Problems Facing Our Socialism” in the East Africa Journal (1965), challenging Kenya’s economic planning and arguing for a more authentically African and socialist approach.
John Nyagarama
Former Nyamira Governor John Nyagarama attended Maseno School for his O-Levels, then proceeded to Kisii High School for his A-Levels.
Nyagarama joined the University of Nairobi, where he pursued a bachelor’s degree in literature.
He was first employed as a teacher at Nduru Boys Secondary School, where he taught for a year.
In 1977, Nyagarama was transferred closer to home, to Nyansiong Boys High School, Borabu Constituency, Nyamira County, where he served for one year before moving to the neighboring Menyenya High School in 1978, where he taught for four years.
He later left his teaching career and focused on tea farming, joining the Kenya Tea Development Authority (KTDA) as a management trainee before becoming a manager at various KTDA outlets across the country.
In the 2013 by-election, Nyagarama vied for the Nyamira gubernatorial seat on an Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) ticket and was elected governor.
He was reelected on the party’s ticket on August 8, 2017, for his second term.
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