Connections, Purpose, and Collective Impact: Lessons from Alumni Engagement in Kenya’s Secondary Schools
Pauline Wanja, CEO, Future First Kenya
According to a survey conducted by Ipsos MORI (2012), 78 percent of Kenyans expressed a willingness to donate to their former high schools if asked. Similarly, a 2020 study by the East Africa Philanthropy Network found that 72 percent of Kenyans polled indicated they were part of a network intending to contribute to their old high schools, with 52 percent of the respondents indicating that their lack of donations stemmed from limited knowledge about programs and platforms facilitating such contributions. Despite this reported willingness to give, data on actual contributions are highly fragmented.
Over the past twelve years, I have been actively involved with alumni networks in Kenya, particularly those associated with high schools. In this spotlight, I am sharing my experiences and offering some practical suggestions on how Kenyan universities can enhance alumni engagement and encourage philanthropy to further higher education advancement across the continent.
The spirit of communal support for education in Kenya runs deep, its roots winding back to the colonial era. As missionary schools waned and the thirst for secular education grew, communities rallied to establish independent institutions, laying the groundwork for a tradition of community efforts in funding education. This spirit found renewed expression in the post-independence era through the concept of ‘Harambee,’ meaning ‘let’s all pull together,’ which emerged as a way to gather local resources from the community. Harambee aimed to promote local participation in developmental projects, such as building schools and health centers. This tradition of communal collaboration and self-reliance continues to inspire alumni-giving practices in Kenya today.
Kenya's high schools stand out for their vibrant and influential alumni communities. These communities typically emerge organically, forming loosely structured social networks fueled by nostalgia and camaraderie. However, a pattern of proactive organization is evident among national and extra-county¹ schools, where alumni have established formally registered networks. While reflecting a desire for more impactful engagement, these formalized structures remain deeply rooted in the spirit of shared traditions and experiences. Importantly, these organizations are typically self-organized to give back rather than motivated by school-driven initiatives.
These self-organized alumni networks, driven by shared experiences and a deep sense of responsibility, have become powerful forces for good. Their collective impact is evident in the scholarships and career mentorship opportunities they provide to current students at their alma maters. Beyond their alma maters, these networks provide crucial welfare support to fellow alumni. In recent years, recognizing the infrastructural challenges posed by growing student populations, these networks have spearheaded the construction of dormitories, ablution blocks, and multi-purpose halls, demonstrating their unwavering dedication to their alma maters.
Alumni networks in Kenya are usually registered by the Registrar of Societies. There is a growing trend of these networks establishing endowment funds. One example is the Griffin Memorial Endowment Trust (GMET), established in 2007 by the Starehe Boys’ Centre and School² Alumni Association, along with the school managing committee. The endowment trust aims to raise and prudently invest resources to support the Starehe Schools indefinitely. The goal is to raise approximately USD 15 million. This is not an isolated case; various high school alumni networks are following similar paths by setting up endowments to support their alma maters.