BY MWANAHABARI REPORTER
Meru School is a National School in Meru County located along the Meru-Maua Road in Imenti North District.
The school, where boys are converted to men, was started in 1956 as sister school to Meru Teachers College – with the teachers at the time teaching the students under trees.
At its inception, the school had 22 students drawn from Meru District, Central Province and North Eastern Province.
Later in 1958, the school admitted six girls – and with that officially became a mixed school – before it became an Independent Government School registered under schedule 1 of Education Act under the sponsorship of DEB in 1959.
In 1961, the girls were moved to the present Kaaga Girls High School.
The boys population grew to 115 in 1969 – with the school adopting double stream.
That same year, 1969, the school was granted the status of a high school – and had the first ‘A’ level class of 30 students.
In May 2011, the school was upgraded into a National status following the promulgation of the new constitution which sought to upgrade and redistribute national schools in the country.
Today the school has a population of over 1206 students, over 62 qualified teachers and 35 support staff.
It was here that Digital journalist and UDA elections strategist Dennis Itumbi sung the school Motto – In understanding, be men. It was here that Itumbi had the honorable rite of becoming a man and live through the ignominy of a Mono in a famous Meru address where ‘Men are called upon to understand’.
It was also here that Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya and Meru Governor Kiraitu Murungi wore grey trousers, white shirts, maroon sweaters and striped ties – chewed books.
Some of the famous teachers included Mr Thakar Kaka who went by the nickname Kanjuma – and he taught Economics in 1970s and 1980s.
Then there was Mr Kamau, a man of small frame – and who rarely laughed, and even when he did, it sounded like the purr of a cat. Mr Kamau taught Agriculture.