# Alliance High School (Kenya)

The Alliance High School (AHS) is a public national high school for boys located in Kikuyu, Kenya.
Established on 1 March 1926 by the Alliance of Protestant Churches (the Church of Scotland Mission (later known as the Presbyterian Church of East Africa or PCEA), Church of the Province of Kenya (CPK) (later known as the Anglican Church of Kenya), African Inland Church (AIC), the Friends Church (Quakers) and the Methodist Church) the school was later named the Alliance High School. It was one of the first schools in Kenya to offer secondary school education to Africans. The school is located approximately 22 kilometres (14 mi) from Nairobi's central business district, and a 10-minute walk from its sister school, the Alliance Girls' High School.
Alliance High School was the highest ranked school in Kenya from 1960 to 1985, and has consistently scored near the top of the national league tables.

## History
### Founding

In the early days of the colonial era in Kenya, the colonialists believed that Africans should not be allowed an education beyond the basic level as they were only useful as a source of cheap labour, and would thus not benefit from any higher education. Missionaries who had been arriving in the country from the beginning of the 20th century strongly opposed this idea. They had been trying to set up primary schools to provide basic education to Africans, but faced challenges due to a lack of funding. Dr. John Arthur, head of the Kikuyu mission, arranged for a conference with other Protestant missions to address these problems. The first meeting took place in 1913 in Kikuyu. In 1918, the Alliance of Protestant Missions was formed, comprising the Church of Scotland Mission, the Church of the Province of Kenya, the African Inland Mission, the Friends Church (Quakers) and the Methodist Church.
Dr. Arthur pushed the British government to open education to Kenyans and all Africans in all colonies. He believed that Kenyans should be given access to primary, secondary and tertiary level education as a matter of right. His efforts led to the Devonshire White Paper of 1923, which gave African colonial subjects the right to quality education. Dr. Arthur realised the need to have new institutions set up, establishing a high school for Africans in Kikuyu. The school was established on 1 March 1926 under the auspices of the Alliance of Protestant Missions, as the Alliance High School.

## Academics

The school is the highest performing high school in Kenya academically, ranked within the top ten best schools in each year's National Examinations. The school had the best results in the national exams continuously from 1960-1985. In 1986 it lost its top ranking for the first time in 25 years, slipping to third. It was ranked first in the country in 2005 based on the results of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE). In 2006, it was ranked third. In 2009 and 2010, the school emerged top in the KCSE results. In 2011, the school dropped one place to second. In 2013 the school was on top again with an average grade of A−.

## Notable alumni

Source:
* John Gachora - Managing Director of NIC Bank and former vice president, Bank of America
* James Gichuru - founding member of the Kenya African National Union (KANU) party
* Johnson Gicheru - former Chief Justice of Kenya
* John Keen - activist for multiparty democracy in Kenya
* Margaret Kenyatta - first woman mayor of Nairobi and first girl to enrol at Alliance High School
* Maina Kiai - former chairman of the Kenya National Human Rights Commission
* Mugo Kibati - CEO, Telkom Kenya
* Mbiyu Koinange - first Kenyan African to hold a degree, and Minister for Foreign Affairs
* Danson Mungatana- politician and a lawyer
* Bernard Mate - one of the first group of Africans to be elected to the Kenya Legislative Council
* Eliud Mathu - first African member of the Legislative Council
* Kenneth Matiba - first African Permanent Secretary in Kenya and prominent opposition figure in the 1980s and 1990s
* John Mbiti - Kenyan Christian philosopher and writer, considered to be the "father of modern African theology"
* Njoroge Mungai - member of the first Kenyan cabinet; recipient of the Commander of the National Order of Merit of France
* Kiraitu Murungi - former Minister for Energy and prominent politician
* Makau W. Mutua - SUNY distinguished Professor of Law
* David Mwiraria - former Finance Minister
* James Mworia - Managing Director of Centum Investment Company
* Duncan Ndegwa - first African and longest-serving governor of the Central Bank of Kenya
* Ronald Ngala - first and only president of the first opposition party in Kenya the Kenya African Democratic Union (KADU)
* Philip Ndegwa - former Central Bank governor and entrepreneur
* Paul Ngei - Kenyan freedom fighter, a member of the Kapenguria 6 and former cabinet minister
* Charles Njonjo - first attorney general of Kenya
* Jeremiah J.M. Nyagah - Kenyan freedom fighter who later served in several key cabinet positions
* Peter Anyang' Nyong'o - Kenyan politician and prominent multi-party activist in 1980s and 1990s Kenya
* James Ole Kiyiapi - presidential election candidate, Kenyan presidential elections 2013
* James Orengo - prominent politician, activist and lawyer
* Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o - author, novelist and playwright. Prominent figure in African literature
* Amos Wako - second attorney general of Kenya
* David Wasawo - first East African to receive a degree in science; zoologist and educationist