History of school built on a graveyard
This image taken on August 2019 shows Allidina Visram High School. The school started as a co-ed before being turned into a boys-only public secondary school in 1985. PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Sheth Abdul Rasul built the school and named it after his father, Sheth Allidina Visram, a merchant.
- The school opened its doors on January 2, 1923 for Indian students only.
Standing on the balcony of the principal’s office at Allidina Visram High School in Mombasa, one sees a graveyard and the beautiful view of Madhubaa beach.
The 99-year-old school that housed a radio station during World War II is located on Abdel Nasser Road.
Sheth Abdul Rasul built the school and named it after his father, Sheth Allidina Visram, a merchant.
It is believed that ghosts initially inhabited the school because it was built on a cemetery for Indian Muslims.
“The school’s plan was designed in 1918 and Mr Khaki Shivji, a contractor, began excavation, but some difficulties arose,” said Mr Shem Raphael, head of education at Fort Jesus.
“Superstitious workers claimed that the spirits of the dead were angry for being disturbed. So, Swahili custodians of the spirits were consulted and they promptly called for offerings,” he said.
The ghosts were appeased and construction started in 1921 and ended in 1923.
ETHICS
The school opened its doors on January 2, 1923 for Indian students only. “The school was built in the memory of one of East Africa’s greatest pioneers,” said Mr Juma Mushimu, the principal.
It was gazetted as a national monument just after independence. A plaque at the school reads: “Mr Visram arrived in East Africa in 1863. He was a leading Indian merchant and planter.”
The school was meant to accommodate about 500 students. By January 1923, it had 331.
The school’s code of ethics was introduced in 1956. The code, inscribed on a wooden board, is fixed on the first floor facing the staircase so students can see it clearly and remember how one is supposed to behave.
ALUMNI
Mr Rasul died in 1923. The school started as a co-ed before being turned into a boys-only public secondary school in 1985. It has had 22 principles. Today the school has 601 students.
“We receive lots of visitors. There is a group that makes a pilgrimage to the school after every two years,” says Mr Mushimu.
Among the school’s prominent alumni are former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga, Changamwe MP Omar Mwinyi and Kisauni MP Ali Menza Mbogo.
