 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2023) |
| Lenana School | |
|---|---|
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| Location | |
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Nairobi Kenya | |
| Coordinates | 1°18′0.957″S 36°43′41.775″E / 1.30026583°S 36.72827083°E[1] |
| Information | |
| Former name | The Duke of York School |
| Type | National, Public |
| Motto | Nihil Praeter Optimum (Nothing But The Best) |
| Established | 1949 |
| Head teacher | William Kemei |
| Number of students | 1750 |
| Campus | Karen, Nairobi |
| Color(s) | Maroon, Grey and White |
| Alumni | The Laibon Society |
| Website | www |
Lenana School is a secondary school in Nairobi, Kenya. It was formed in 1949 by colonial governor Philip Euen Mitchell,[2] known then as the Duke of York School,[3] named after a British World War II 1939 King George V-class battleship.[4] The bell from HMS Duke of York is mounted on a bell-shed by the front of the school parade ground between the school chapel and the hall. The first students were briefly housed at the then-British colonial governor's house, which is the current State House[5][6] as they waited for the school's completion. The founding principal was R. H. James.[7]
The school was renamed Lenana School in 1969 after the central person in the conflict between British imperialists and the Maasai, the latter's spiritual leader Laibon Lenana.[8][9] The first Kenyan principal of the school was James Kamunge. The referral to old students of the school changed from the phrase Old Yorkist to Laibons, the latter being a title given to religious figures of the Maasai. A picture of Lenana painted by a student artist called Sam Madoka hangs next to the steps that lead to the 2nd floor of the administration block.
In 2006, Lenana School was ranked the 26th-best high school in Kenya based on the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education's results.[10] Through the 1980s and into the 21st century, Lenana School has maintained high academic standards ranking in the top 10 and top 20 respectively for many years in the 1980s. The current principal is William Kemei.[11]
- ^ "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
- ^ Shem, Shemcy (8 October 2019). "Lenana School: Everything you need to know about the top-performing school". Tuko.co.ke - Kenya news.
- ^ "Duke of York School, Nairobi, Kenya".
- ^ "HMS Duke of York, British battleship, WW2". Naval-history.net. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
- ^ pm, Vincent Kejitan on 22 June 2017-7:18. "Kenyan Secondary School That Used State House as a Dormitory". Kenyans.co.ke.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ App, Daily Nation. "When Lenana boys lived in State House". mobile.nation.co.ke.
- ^ http://www.mccrow.org.uk/eastafrica/duke%20of%20york%20school/Duke%20of%20York%20School.html [dead link]
- ^ "Maasai religion and beliefs - Traditional Music & Cultures of Kenya". www.bluegecko.org.
- ^ Kareithi, Amos. "The life and times of paramount chief Lenana". The Standard.
- ^ "Resources and Information". eastandard.net.
- ^ "News". Optimum Kenya Trust.