Bishop Lauds Kenya’s Oldest Missionary Order for “being very consistent” in Education

“In this 21st century, that has not been emphasized so much; but our encounter with God transforms our lives. In this 21st century where there is great emphasis on worldly values, many have lost the value of life,” he said, emphasizing his appreciation for the school located at Sultan Hamud, some 110km from Nairobi on the Nairobi-Mombasa highway.

Bishop Kariuki urged young people to “be in communion with God”, and added, “Many people have lost the meaning of life because they have eliminated God in their lives. You can’t go far. Let us be in communion with our Creator; that is where the success is.”

Credit: ACI Africa

The Local Ordinary of Wote since his installation in September 2023 recognized the growth and progress of Holy Ghost Schools – Makueni over the last decade, saying, “This school started like a mustard seed and more than 300 students have gone to the university; that is a great contribution to our country and the education of young people.”

The secondary school has given rise to the Spiritans Technical College (STC), he said about institution that offers Certificate to Diploma courses in masonry, plumbing, welding, garment making, and catering, accredited by the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TVETA), the public corporate agency established under the 2013 TVET Act No. 29 to regulate and coordinate training in Kenya through licensing, registration and accreditation of programs, institutions, and trainers.

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“I am proud you have started a Technical school and I’m sure it’ll offer another impetus of this school to ensure that we equip our young people with skills,” the Local Ordinary of Wote Diocese, who doubles as the as the Chairman of the Commission for Education and Religious Education (CERE) of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) said.

Bishop Paul Kariuki Njiru of Wote Diocese in Kenya (left) and Bishop John Mbinda of Kenya's Lodwar Diocese (right) display a demo version of the 2023-2028 Strategic Plan for the Holy Ghost Schools - Makueni in Wote Diocese on 10 February 2024. Credit: ACI Africa

He added, “Today the government is emphasizing the importance of training our young people not only in academics but also equipping them with skills that can help them. We have for a long time focussed on education up to the university level and broken down the role of equipping our young people with skills.”

Holy Ghost Schools - Makueni lies on a 40-acre piece of land that was donated by the family of Retired General Joseph Musomba to the Spiritans to establish a school in memory of his late son, Christopher Kiamba. 

Retired General Joseph Musomba. Credit: ACI Africa

In his message at the February 10 event, General Musomba said he invited the Spiritans to start the school because “of their reputation as pioneers and founders of famous schools” in Kenya.

Spiritans established Kabaa High School in Machakos Diocese, and in the  Archdiocese of Nairobi, founded both Mang’u High School and St. Mary’s School.

Making reference to these institutions of learning, General Musomba said that in donating the land to the Spiritans, “my expectation, plan, wishes, and prayer was to invite them to establish a good school of the standards of those three schools.”

“They have not let me down,” he said, and explained, “In the last 10 years, Holy Ghost Schools - Makueni has turned out to be a top-performing school. Not only academically, but in terms of character-molding; through their motto of Prepared for Life, they have molded our children morally, spiritually, very well indeed.”

Credit: ACI Africa

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The Kenyan retired General added that students from the boys' secondary school “are going to be very responsible leaders of our country in the future.” 

“I hope that these young boys, in years to come, will be very prominent. You are in the right place receiving the right education,” General Musomba went on to say, adding, “The enormous educational, social, economic, and cultural benefits towards the welfare of our community are greatly appreciated.” 

The retired General recalled his late son, saying, “Christopher Kiamba left us in 1996 but his memories linger on in this school. The Holy Ghost School will always be a treasured memento for my son."

Magdalene Kahiu is a Kenyan journalist with passion in Church communication. She holds a Degree in Social Communications from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). Currently, she works as a journalist for ACI Africa.