The alumni associations of Alliance High School and Mang’u High School have publicly called out former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua following his remarks questioning why students from outside the Mt Kenya region are admitted to the two schools.
Their response was driven by concern that his statements misrepresented the purpose of national schools and risked introducing ethnic politics into the education system.
Gachagua, speaking at a church event in Kiambu, argued that local students with strong grades were being unfairly sidelined as learners from other regions took up slots in elite schools such as Alliance and Mang’u. He suggested that students from Mt Kenya should be prioritised, linking the issue to broader confusion surrounding Grade 10 placement under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
In response, both alumni groups reaffirmed that Alliance and Mang’u are national schools by law and tradition.
They explained that these institutions admit students from across Kenya based on merit and established quotas designed to reflect the country’s diversity, not regional or ethnic considerations. According to the alumni, this model has been instrumental in fostering national unity and a shared identity among young Kenyans.
The Mang’u High School Alumni Group warned that calls to regionalise or ethnicise national schools could weaken the education system and undermine decades of progress. They emphasised that leaders should focus on fixing genuine placement challenges — such as misplacements, long travel distances, and capacity constraints — without compromising fairness or inclusivity.
Alliance High School alumni echoed this position, stating clearly that the school does not belong to any community, region, or political constituency. They cautioned that while debate on education reforms is welcome, rhetoric that fuels tribal sentiment is harmful and irresponsible.
Ultimately, the alumni called out Gachagua not to dismiss concerns about CBC placement, but to defend the national character of their schools. They urged policymakers to address administrative failures through transparent reforms, while protecting merit-based admissions that keep national schools truly national.
