Ndau Kanyi

In the course of 1978 a new headmaster Ndau Kanyi arrived to take over from Maina “kung”. His arrival and some of the changes he wanted to make met with stiff resistance which culminated in a stand off with the seniors (mostly fifth and six formers) that year. Interestingly one of the issues had to do with rugby. I remember once we were in chapel and after the service he stood up to talk, mainly addressing the senior students. They jeered and booed back at him. As a rabble that was really exciting because visions of the school being shut down, at least for a while, started to present themselves to my mind.

I was only a rabble then and so I do not have the facts on what the issues were exactly. Maybe Bwana Gaitho who was a sixth former then (and who is very active in this forum) can help us out here. What I do know is that Kanyi slowed down and stopped to listen. Key attributes to any successful manager. Kanyi had very powerful contacts within the Kenya government that had the ears of the president and so I am certain he would have forced anything he wanted through. In later years I got to know Kanyi very well and appreciated his approach to the management of the school. He would always listen, even when he did not agree with what you had to say. He was also a very intelligent man who quickly soaked in the school traditions and got to respect them after that first encounter shortly after he arrived. The man had his faults of course but he did well to preserve the school as it had been for the years he was there (until 1984). The outcome was that he got results. The school consistently did well in national exams and was also a top performer in many other areas of activity.

One thing many people do not appreciate is the fact that with the old strict hierarchy system in place, a school strike was virtually impossible those days because all the students would need to agree. How would this happen when it was taboo to be friendly with your juniors. You had to respect your seniors at all times and basically you were supposed to have nothing to discuss. The 1978 incident was the closest thing to a strike there could ever be.

Mr Kanyi had a stunning wife who taught languages (Kiswahili and English) I believe. Sadly she never taught me so I never really got to know her well except for the few times we met when I visited the headmaster’s house in 1983.

Macharia Gaitho adds; Yes, I was in the group that protested against Mr Kanyi. We even marched around Brooklands. I don't exactly remember what the grouse was, but Mr Kanyi had come from Government Secretarial an wanted to change the school rules to introduce things we thought were rather girly. I think we disciplined him.
Ndegwa Ndiritu adds; The spark that lit the fire was his inviting himself to a sixth form society debate, or the entertainment thereafter, and asking the ladies to leave, totally embarrassing the boys in the process. Next morning the seniors refused to enter chapel for Sunday service until 'Wong' came to Kanyi's rescue.
Chris Kavila asked Ndegwa Ndiritu Thank you so much for your valuable input. I have to assume that he must have been briefed extensively by Wong on the dos and don'ts at Lenana because things changed after this incident. I have to ask, were any sixth formers victimized for this incident?
Ndegwa Ndiritu answered Cant recall any, after all it was more spontaneous than organised. In the mid nineties I had occasion to meet him in business, he was running an auctioneering firm, and on informing him I was his student in '78, he remarked that the class caused him the most pain.