Kangaru High School

Kangaru School is located in the former Eastern Province of Kenya in Embu. It was built by the first missionaries that arrived in Kenya during the colonialism in the 1920s. It was rebuilt on 1 January 1947 by Sir Robin Wainright on a Harambee basis.[1] There is a nearby village called Kangaru which is probably where the name comes from. There is a river close to the school, the Rupingasi River, that students called "rivee."

The student population is about 1400 with a teaching staff of about 60. It is an extra-county school, the majority of the students are from the whole country. Other tribes from the same Eastern province are represented such as Meru Akamba, Mbeere, and Kirinyaga.

The school offers an 8-4-4 curriculum whereby students sit for the Kenya National Examinations Council (KCSE) at the end of their four-year stint. Subjects offered at Kangaru School range from Mathematics, Kiswahili, Christian and Islamic Religious Education, Geography, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, History and Government, Home Science, Computer Studies, French, English to Business Studies. [2]

Kangaru later became a co-educational school, after which in 1989 it was split into separate institutions for boys and girls. The students live in 8 dormitories referred to as houses, named Mwea, Embu, Gichugu, Ndia, Gachoka, Mbeere, Hollywood and Runyenjes.

The school has the best rugby teams in eastern province and in 1999 they reached the finals but lost. The team is well known as Masimba, meaning Lion in Swahili. Rugby in Kangaru was revived in 2010, led by the captain, Benson Mwenda, aka Mboste. during that year, they managed to reach finals of National Sevens-aside rugby, where they lost to Kakamega High School. During that year, they also managed to dominate the 15s aside High school league, by dominating both the national and the East Africa Secondary School Sports championships in Nakuru, Kenya. Since then, (2010) Kangaru School has Continued to show its prowess in Rugby, headlining in all competitions, and has become a contender for the top brass in High School Rugby among the likes of Kakamega, Mangu High, Maseno and Laiser Hill Academy. Mr George Kivuti is currently the coach of the school team, where he led the team to first runners-up in both 7s and 15s aside competitions of the game.

Notable alumni are CEO of Barclays Bank (East and Western Africa), Adan Mohammed, Joseph Murungu (accomplished actor, writer and director), Salim Simon and Hon. Mutava Musyimi, who was a member of Parliament for Mbeere South Constituency, Ben Mutua Jonathan Muriithi, popularly known as BMJ Muriithi, who is a US-based journalist working with the Voice of America, Major Paul Nduma Njue (KDF), Ken wa Maria a popular Kamba artiste, Justin Muturi Kenya's current National Assembly Speaker and among others.