Last year, the Lenana School alumni association, aka Laibon Society, launched the Lenana School Endowment Fund, an ambitious initiative aimed at securing the institution’s financial future while enhancing its academic and extracurricular offerings for generations to come.
The broader goal of the Endowment Fund is to safeguard the school’s proud legacy and enable it to thrive independent of external financial pressures.
To mark the launch, the Laibons organised a veterans rugby match against their arch-rivals, the alumni of Nairobi School (the Old Cambrians), on Saturday, July 5, 2025, at Impala Club in Nairobi. Fittingly, Lenana School emerged victorious.
The event evoked a strong spirit of competition and camaraderie, rekindling one of Kenya’s oldest school rivalries.
More than 600 advance tickets were sold, and matchday attendance exceeded 1,000. Proceeds from the event were contributed to the endowment funds of both schools.
This year, the veterans’ rugby match is scheduled for Saturday, 4 July, with the organising committee planning a grander event and aiming to involve additional alumni societies.
Beyond the excitement of reconnecting with former schoolmates, reliving storied rivalries, and indulging in nostalgic banter, it is important to remain focused on the core objective; supporting our former schools.
Public institutions rely primarily on funding from the Ministry of Education to support their operations and maintain their facilities.
These allocations place limits on the extent to which infrastructure can be upgraded, with priority given to academic needs.
Lenana School boasts an impressive range of sports facilities. The campus includes five rugby pitches, three football fields, two hockey pitches, a dedicated track and field area, two tennis courts, two basketball courts, a squash court, a swimming pool, and a nine-hole golf range.
These extensive sporting amenities complement the school’s strong academic infrastructure, which includes six streams per class and nine science laboratories.
Government funding often falls short of adequately sustaining sports facilities. Over the years, the Laibon Society has stepped in to bridge this gap through targeted fundraising drives.
A decade ago, the alumni funded the renovation of the school’s swimming pool, and in 2025, in collaboration with the government, completed restoration of the nine-hole golf course.
These facilities offer a strong return on investment. After a dip in prominence in the 2010s, Lenana School’s rugby programme has successfully restored the school’s regular participation in the Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association’s National 15s tournament.
While ad hoc fundraising efforts are a good start, building robust alumni societies is essential.
Their effectiveness depends on clear decision-making structures, robust fundraising mechanisms, and transparent, democratic governance processes. The success of alumni societies also depends on maintaining strong relationships with school principals.
The principal bears responsibility for the school, and there are no formal provisions governing alumni engagement.
These relationships are built on goodwill and a shared vision for the institution’s prosperity.
Ultimately, the most important ingredient is school pride. Earlier this year, Alliance High School generated buzz on social media with its cheeky invitations to fellow alumni societies, welcoming them to celebrate the school’s centenary on 1 March.
Shortly after, President William Ruto joined fellow alumni from Kapsabet Boys High School to commemorate their former school’s centenary. Both events were marked with prominent old boys making sizeable donations to improve the schools’ facilities.
Kenyan high schools are rich sources of heritage and pride, yet with our growing young population, it is unlikely that the Ministry of Education can fully fund both academic and co-curricular facilities across all public schools.
If you’re ever considering where to direct your disposable income, beyond tithes, offerings, or supporting family, your former high school is one of the most impactful and meaningful places to start.