BY PRIMEROSE OMOTTO
It was pomp and colour as Waa Boys High School marked 100 years in Matuga, Kwale County.
The first-ever big centennial event was graced by the Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Cabinet Secretary for Education Ezekiel Machogu and his Mining counterpart Salim Mvurya, Governor Fatuma Achani and the area MP Kassim Tandaza.
Hundreds of Kwale residents also trooped to the occasion to mark the school’s 100 years.
The school was built in 1923 by missionaries of Holy Ghost Catholic Fathers, making it one of the oldest learning institutions in East Africa.
It was a mixed secondary school called Harambee Waa and later was made a public school for boys.
It is managed by a chief principal Mr. Julius Changawa.
The celebrations were held to appreciate the milestone achievement and reflect on the challenges as well as to capacity-build the institution.
The institution is currently an extra-county school. It has five streams with a population of 1,165 students, 28 TSC teachers and 15 others hired by the Board of Management.
During the event, a total of sh28,271,500 was raised as part of the commitment to upgrade the school infrastructure to accommodate the rising population and fit in with the new competency-based curriculum.
The population of the school has been rising because of the demand for education.
The fundraising was led by Mudavadi and Machogu through the Ministry of Education offered to give sh10 million for the development of the school infrastructure.
Last year, the school sent a total of 37 students to public universities. It got a mean score of 5.168 higher than 4.63 in 2021.
Mudavadi hailed the school for making great strides in education.
Mudavadi said Waa High has proven itself through its long history and records of academic excellence adding that more efforts must be put to continue posting a positive trajectory.
Machogu also challenged the school to improve its performance.
“It’s a great achievement you’ve done so far but kindly work on improving the mean score to at least 7,” he said.
The CS added that the government is keen on creating a conducive learning environment and bettering the education system.
Later in the evening, the leaders proceeded to Leopard Beach Hotel for the Annual Kwale Heritage and Cultural Festival.
The locals were treated to their best meals and drinks as a variety of traditional food was prepared.
The occasion was marked by traditional dances and exhibitions as a way of marketing Kwale’s tourism.
Achani applauded various stakeholders for making the program a successful one.
She said the celebration has played a key in recognizing the rich diverse cultures and heritage the county has.
“This is very commendable, we get to sell our tourism through such occasions,” she said.
Achani said that her administration has constructed several access beach roads to boost tourism.
She said the county is also planning to put up a Kwale Heritage and Convection Centre facility in Diani to promote Kwale’s diverse cultural heritage.
Matuga MP Kassim Tandaza encourage the students to maintain a good attitude in their studies so that they can raise the county’s education level.
He called on the Ministry of Education to hire more teachers to cater for the growing school population.
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