Chebwai Adventist College and Schools is a three-in-one institution found in North-West Kenya Conference in the West Kenya Union Conference of the East-Central Africa Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It is located 20 kms north of the town of Webuye on the western side of the Webuye–Kakamega Road. This institution is found in the Malava Sub-County of Kakamega County in Western Kenya, East Africa.
The founding of Chebwai School is intimately associated with the introduction of the Adventist Church in this region. This was as a result of the evangelistic activities of Caleb Kipkessio araap Busienei, who was then a lay preacher and literature evangelist in the early-1930s. Through his books, he succeeded in bringing three people at Siandike to the faith in 1935. These were Mark Wambani, Ezekiel Namulanda (Mark’s brother), and Petero Chetambe1, a cousin to Mark and Ezekiel. Mark Wambani was at that time a teacher in Lukhokho Friends African Mission School as he and his siblings were members of the Friends (Quakers) church. In 1936, a total of six people (the three men with their wives) were baptized by Spencer. G. Maxwell, the superintendent of North West Kenya Mission based in Nakuru.
It was a well-known Mission strategy to establish a school in an area as soon as converts were made. The first school was established in 1935 at Lwandeti not far from Shandike. When the Mission Station was established at Chebwai in 1936, another school was established the following year and opened its doors to learners in January 1937. Out of those humble beginnings Chebwai grew from a primary to a secondary school and, finally in 2008, it became a teachers’ College.
Today, persons who are above the age of 60 and live within a radius of 10 kilometers of Chebwai most likely received their elementary education from Chebwai. Adventists from Nandi, Uasin-Gishu and Trans-Nzoia, Western and Nyanza provinces and beyond sent their children to Chebwai for their elementary education. Many of these, particularly those from Nandi, could not access schools closer home since Adventists were not allowed to establish schools there by the colonial administration.2 Chebwai enjoyed lots of good will from the colonial administration thanks to Chief Mulupi wa Shitanda, who encouraged the establishment of schools in his area.
Establishing Chebwai School After his conversion, Mark Wambani sought to proselytize the Quakers into the Adventist faith. A religious crisis ensued, compelling Chief Mulupi wa Shitanda to intervene. He prevailed on Mark to leave the Quakers alone. Mark and others began congregating in their home at Siandike. Soon after getting in touch with Spencer Maxwell, they established a school at Lwandeti in 1935. On seeing the European missionaries begin to frequent Lwandeti, Chief Mulupi ordered that the Mission Station be relocated to Chebwai closer to him (ostensibly so he could provide government protection to the missionaries).3 Before then, the missionaries surveyed the area of the present-day St. Mukasa4 near Webuye Town as a possible mission center, but that was not to be.
When he received the word from the Chief, Maxwell saw the hand of God and hastened to establish a mission station at Chebwai. Chief Mulupi relocated the residents, paving a space of what would eventually be considerably sized campus. Maxwell brought Matthew C. Murdoch to serve as the mission director and established a school. F. Achieng served briefly as the first head teacher before Mordecai Awuor from Kendu Bay came to replace him. Mr. Awuor5 (who later became a pastor) first went to Lwandeti where he had started serving as their first head teacher to educate before relocating to Chebwai. Benjamin Juma Wamalika6 was hired as the first assistant teacher at Chebwai.
Another teacher after Juma who had left for Lwandeti was Yakobo Mmasi.7 Chief Mulupi sent his son, Peter Kongoni, and nephew, Sayia Kutondo8, to learn at Chebwai. Other pioneer pupils included Esther Namarome9 and Sarah Khamsa. Murdoch built two grass thatched dormitories (one for each gender), two classrooms, his house, and the evangelist’s house. The first evangelist was Petero Chetambe, who later went to train as a pastor and served Chebwai in the early 1960s. The first matron was Robai Lukania.10 In 1937, the East African Union had “voted some Sh. 1500 to construct a sector school at Chebwai and pay for the layout, landscaping” and constructing of other infrastructure to make the Mission Station viable.11 Murdoch applied to the Local Native Council for authority to establish a mission station at Chebwai. The consent was granted on April 1, 1938.12 Chebwai was registered as a Sector School. This meant that it could admit learners up to Class IV. On May 14, 1941, the Agricultural Officer for North Kavirondo visited Chebwai School. He expressed satisfaction at the groundnut and maize crops grown on the school grounds. In July 1942, Inspector of Schools T. G. Benson visited the school. He noted with satisfaction the progress made so far and wrote “…promises to be a good school.”13 By now, the school had enrolled 105 learners–94 males and 11 females. The school fees were paid as follows: 40 cents for Sub A; 75 cents for Sub B; Sh. 1.50 for Std. I; Sh. 3.00 for Std. II; and Sh. 6 for Std. III. Boarders were required to pay Sh. 19 per year.14
Murdoch established very high standards for Chebwai School. Requisite tuition facilities were well provided for, and the mediums of instruction were Kiswahili and English (unlike the local schools that did not teach in English). The farm produced enough crops for the school’s needs. This put the school way above other schools in the region. Pupils came from far and wide to learn in Chebwai. In 1942, the first pupil graduates from Chebwai School were selected to attend teacher training at Kamagambo Training Institute. Among them was Jackton Mwachi15 who, for some time, taught in Chebwai after receiving his training.
In 1943, Murdoch left Chebwai for missionary work in South Africa. He was replaced by D. M. Swaine. On May 21, 1945, Swaine applied to the government for Chebwai to receive appropriation-in-aid. This was granted, making the school a bona fide recipient of government funding and it also taught the government’s curriculum.16 In 1947, K. G. Berry replaced Swaine at Chebwai. Ezekiel Inzai17was appointed head teacher. Sadly, the school was not without its own bad incidents. In 1949, rowdy boys from the community and former pupils of Chebwai set the boys’ dorm and the Church on fire.18 The reason was the refusal by the community of the transfer of Ezekiel Inzai to the Kakimanyi Adventist Primary School. In the ensuing chaos, Mrs. Berry was assaulted by a lady from the community. In 1955, L. D. Brown came to replace Berry as the Mission director in Chebwai. Brown constructed semi-permanent buildings: the school classrooms, one girls’ dormitory and one boys’ dormitory. During Brown’s tenure, among the graduate pupils were Tali Wabomba, Zaccheus Chesoni, Alfayo Mulupi, Wilberforce Kisiero, and Jonathan Welangai Masinde who became prominent personalities in Kenya.19 Not much development was performed by Brown since the community did not look on him with favor. This was the time when the Mau Mau were agitating for Kenya’s independence, creating distrust between Europeans and Africans.
L. D. Brown left in 1960 and was replaced by Pastor Washington Booker,20 who became the first African Mission director. Pastor Petero Chetambe now served as the Church’s pastor. Among the pupils in lower primary in the early 1960s were Philip Kutima and Frederick Ochieng21, who rose through career ranks to become prominent in Kenya.
Pastor Frederick Wangai22 arrived in Chebwai in 1965 as Mission director when Josiah Asiyo was serving as the head teacher. By now, Tande Primary School, which had been established in the community in 1962, had attracted many pupils from Chebwai, leaving the school in difficulty since it could not meet its financial obligations. All trained teachers, for lack of pay, left for government employment.
Wangai undertook radical educational reforms. First, he sent Eunice Njoki23 and Nathan Oyiengo24 to Kaimosi Teachers’ College for in-service training in 1965. Second, he reorganized the curriculum with more emphasis on Christian education. The school picked up and saw an increase in pupils. Establishing the Chebwai Secondary School Perhaps the greatest contribution of Pastor Wangai to the development of Chebwai was the establishment of the secondary school. He mobilized resources from Church members in cash and in kind. He hired a mason from Central Kenya named John Muiruri, who led in the construction of the first two permanent classrooms for the new school. One staff house was put up at the same time. Wangai also brought Simon K. Gichuhi as the first head teacher for the secondary school.
In 1967, Chebwai Secondary School opened its doors to their first students, and among them were Paul Wangai25 and Alison Mukweyi.26 Other pioneer students were Dan M’masi and Caesar Wamalika.27 Pastor Frederick Wangai left Chebwai in 1969 to serve as president of Central Kenya Field (CKF) in Nairobi.28 He was replaced by Pastor Reuben Kamundi as Mission director. But then the school began declining. There were not enough trained teachers, and the number of students had decreased. In 1974, the community set in motion a plan to have Chebwai School taken over by the government. Furthermore, all other Adventist schools in the Western Region had been handed over to the government. But CKF, under the leadership of Wangai together with Rex Omutamba the new head teacher, moved swiftly to block the move. Under the direction of Pastor Wangai, the school was put under the management of CKF. Rex Omutamba introduced double streams and, for the first time, the school ranked best in the region in the KJSE29 exams.
The Osoro Years In 1977, the CKF sent a trained teacher and theologian from Mid-East College to serve as the head teacher of both schools. He was named Robinson Osoro. The developments performed under Osoro’s headship were remarkable. He introduced senior secondary education and built two more permanent classrooms. He introduced pure sciences and built a laboratory. He then transferred the primary school to their own compound. He brought piped water and also constructed lavatories and bathrooms with showers. He worked on the fence and installed a school gate. Osoro demarcated plots for the school and set up a dispensary and the community Church. He also built two permanent dormitories, one for each gender. From 1978 to 1981, Chebwai School posted remarkable results in national examinations at all levels.30
Josee Ondari and Joseph Baraza were among the top local high school students during this period. Baraza rose through career ranks to become a professor of Accounting. Philip Maiyo was also among the student graduates from Chebwai during this period. He rose through academia and became the vice chancellor of the University of Eastern Africa, Baraton, in 2014. Another student graduate was Tabitha Wambui, who also became a university professor. Nahashon Sikwata and Methuselah C. Ronoh31 were among the top primary school pupils. Robinson Osoro’s tenure was seen as the classic age of Chebwai School. He went for further studies in Loma Linda, California, in the U.S. in 1981 with the hope that he would come back to complete his mission for Chebwai. It never happened since he died in 1992 during a road accident in the United States. Under the Western Kenya Field In 1981, previous student Aggrey Juma Kutondo was appointed the president of Western Kenya Field (WKF), which had been kept from the CKF. Pastor Kutondo doubled up as the chair of the school board. During his tenure, two more dormitories were constructed together with four permanent classrooms. The head teacher’s house was also built. The population of the secondary school rose to about 400. Kutondo brought to the school Domico Mawingu, a female missionary teacher from Jamaica who served under Enock Isinta, the head teacher, and Caesar Wamalika, the deputy. Kutondo left WKF in 1986 to serve in the East African Union as Church Ministries director. And with his departure, Chebwai School experienced, for the next two years, a downward drop from which it never fully recovered. The performance of the school in national examinations declined. The student enrolment also decreased by more than half.
In 1988, Zechariah Omagwa was brought from Kamagambo Adventist College to serve as the principal. Omagwa incorporated the community in school affairs and organized Golden Jubilee celebrations just as soon as he arrived. He then started AMREF (Africa Medical Research Foundation) activities in the community. The school purchased an electricity generating plant and dairy animals. Philosophy of Adventist Education was integrated in the curriculum and, for the first time, only trained teachers were hired. Mr. Omagwa made Chebwai Secondary a full boarding school. Student enrollment increased tremendously, and community good will towards the school was enhanced. The school experienced recovery, which continued after Omagwa left for Kamagambo in January 1992.
In 1993, the WKF handed the school over to the local Adventist community for them to govern. Omagwa Angima, a lawyer, was elected as chair of the Board of Management. The school experienced a high in 1995 when it was taken over by Western Kenya Mission and then in 1996 handed over to lay professionals reporting to Western Kenya Field (WKF) after Western Kenya Mission had been dissolved and merged with WKF. Between 1991 and 1996, Chebwai School posted impressive results in national examinations. In 1997, the school renovated the chapel. It also received funding from ADRA, which they used to construct a modern laboratory and renovate the dining hall.
While in the hands of WKF, the school started declining again. In 2002, the school had a very low student enrolment. Teacher turnover was high. The school had many debts. It was not uncommon for head teachers to be arrested because of these debts. Examination results dropped. There was student unrest. The head teacher (principal) resigned. In 2003, WKF appointed a Recovery Commission for Chebwai School.32 The members of the Commission were John Momanyi (chair), Stanley Muhindi (secretary), Bernard Omollo,33 Pastor Peter Galo, Opanda Wamalika34, Roseline Oganyo, and Richard Masika.35
The Commission was tasked to identify the challenges facing the school and their causes, and to recommend recovery measures. When the report was submitted to WKF, steps were immediately taken by Pastor Job Rotich, who was then president, to once again put the school on the path to recovery. A Board of Management (BOM) comprising professionals was appointed, and it included John Momanyi as chair, Stanley Muhindi as treasurer, and Bernard Omollo as a member, among others. Personnel restructuring was done to ensure that only qualified workers were hired. Electricity was installed apart from the generator. The school put up a multi-purpose hall,36 installed a satellite dish with internet connectivity, and bought a television set. The primary school was made independent. Student enrollment picked up, and performance in national exams improved. An ECD37 College was established for in-service trainees.
Chebwai Teacher Training College In 2005, changes in the leadership took place in the Western Kenya Field. This new leadership took over the management of the Chebwai School. The school once again started to decline. In 2008, Pastor James Boiyo Chebus38 established a Teachers’ Training College in Chebwai. Moses Kisa Adegu came in from Kamagambo Adventist College to serve as the principal. Through the efforts of Boiyo and Adegu, an independent BOM made up of professionals from the community was put in place. The primary and secondary schools and later an Early Childhood Development (ECD) facility were put under one management with different sectional administrators reporting to the overall principal. The school again began to pick up.
The primary school and the teachers’ College received national headlines as high performers in national examinations. The high school grew progressively, and by 2012, it was the second best in the sub-county, having produced one of the finest students.39 The institution received much good will from the community as well as from the government. The Minister for Housing Hon. Soita Shitanda, who was also the local member of Parliament, appropriated some NG-CDF40 funds to support teacher trainees from the community.
In 2013, the government started a policy of free high school and primary education. Some parents pulled their children out for the tuition-free education in government schools. This affected Chebwai again. Coupled with the fall of Soita Shitanda from political leadership, the woes of Chebwai re-emerged. Student enrolment in the high school and College started to drop. The new political leadership no longer looked upon Chebwai with favor. From 2013, the school experienced high staff turnover.
In 2016, the leadership of the newly created North West Kenya Conference (NWKC), in whose jurisdiction Chebwai now fell, took over the management of the school. They brought Francis Sayia, the former head of a senior government College, as the principal. A College bus was bought in 2016. In 2017, a new administration was established. Although the high school and College have not yet improved as much as was hoped for, the primary school is still doing well. North West Kenya Conference is doing all it can to revamp Chebwai Adventist College and Schools.
Conclusion Chebwai School was one of the first schools to be located in the Kabras region. It was the one single most factor that caused the spread of Adventism in the immediate neighborhood. Apart from drawing much of its pupil enrolment from the community, the students, faculty, and staff engaged in evangelistic and outreach activities. The immediate neighborhood around the school boasts a powerful Adventist presence more than any other region in Western Kenya. A number of the faculty and staff have also come from the community.
Apart from those who left for the government41, almost all the teachers from the wider community who opted to remain in Chebwai eventually joined the pastoral ministry. They include, among others: Wellington O. Alube, Benjamin Sikwata, Joses Sipakati, Nathan Oyiengo, Peter Galo, Hezron Wanjala, Caesar Wamalika, and Opanda Wamalika. Many other teachers from other locations42 who taught in Chebwai also joined the pastoral ministry. Perhaps the greatest number of people who joined the pastoral ministry are those who studied at Chebwai School. They include pastors Aggrey Juma Kutondo, Patrick Kitio Kania, Dan M’masi, Samwel Mbayi43, Zakayo Muchenje44, Nabiye Lwandanyi, Abiud Ekirapa, and others.
Many students encountered the Adventist faith for the first time at Chebwai. When they left, they spread it far and wide. Even some of those who left Chebwai without significant evidence of conversion eventually joined the Adventist faith. The effect in advancing the Adventist mission by these student graduates cannot be measured. However, one can confidently say that Chebwai School has significantly contributed towards advancing the Adventist mission.
The institution has maintained good relations with the community, which has supplied a number of agricultural products mainly to the Chebwai staff and students. The community also provides such services as housing, particularly to teachers. In turn, the Chebwai College bus is often hired by the community and even the government to provide local transport services. Other school facilities are often hired for Church and non-Church functions.
Primary School Head Teachers F. Achieng (1937); Mordecai Awuor (1938-1946); Ezekiel Inzai (1947-1955); Samuel Nyikuri Khayechia (1956-1959); James Songa (1960-1964); Josiah Asiyo (1964-1966); Nathan Oyiengo (1967-1969); Julius Wanakuta (1970-1973); Peter Galo (1974-1977); (1978-1981)45; Catherine Siundu (1982-1985); Daniel Wanjekeche (1986-1987); (1988-1997)46; Samuel Akhonya (1997-2003); Isaac Lusala (2004-2007); (2008-)47
High School Head Teachers Simon K. Gichuhi (1967-1969); Thomas Mandila (1970-1973); Rex Omutamba (1974-1977); Robinson Osoro (1978-1980); Peter Arwasa (1981-1982); Enock Isinta (1983-1985); Grace Robinson (1986); Isaac Sigei (1987); Zachariah Omagwa (1988-1991); Frederick Adegu (1992-1994); Lameck Atika (1994-1997); Samuel Nyanumba (1997-1998); Rasa Mwanzo (1999); Rose Muhindi (2000); Dan M’masi (2000); William Lumati (2001-2002); Robai Tiya (2003-2004); Z. Eshitemi (2005-2006); J. Kakai (2007-2008); Moses Kisa Adegu (2008-2011); Martin Wamalwa (2012); Dan M’masi (2013); D. Chesilim (2014); Moses Kisa Adegu (2015); Henry Lukhanyu (2016); Francis Saya (2016-).