Starehe Boys founder honoured as road named after him

Dr Geoffrey Griffin founded the Starehe Boys Centre in 1959 with the help of the late Geoffrey Gatama Geturo and Joseph Kamiru Gikubu. PHOTO | FILE | NMG

What you need to know:

  • The Dr Griffin, who founded the Starehe Boys Centre in 1959 with the help of the late Geoffrey Gatama Geturo and Joseph Kamiru Gikubu.

  • Governor Sonko described Starehe as a symbol of excellence, hard work and discipline that other schools should emulate

  • Sonko celebrated Dr Griffin as a man whose wisdom and ambition in establishing the institution impacted positively on the lives of thousands.

Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has renamed Ngara Ring Road in honour of the founder of Starehe Boys Centre.

The road will now be known as Dr Geoffrey Griffin Road.

The Dr Griffin, who founded the Starehe Boys Centre in 1959 with the help of the late Geoffrey Gatama Geturo and Joseph Kamiru Gikubu, died in June 2005 after battling colon cancer for about one year.

Governor Sonko described Starehe as a symbol of excellence, hard work and discipline that other schools should emulate in the wake of student unrests being witnessed across the country.

“I wish to let you know that the Nairobi City County government has passed a motion in the County Assembly to rename Ngara Ring Road to Dr Geoffrey William Griffin Road. This will be done with immediate effect,” Mr Sonko said.

FOUNDERS' DAY

He was speaking on Saturday during the 59th Founders’ Day celebration at Starehe Boys Centre in a ceremony attended by British High Commissioner Nic Hailey, Starehe Boys Centre Director Josphat Mwaura and several MPs, among them Saboti MP Celeb Amisi.

Sonko celebrated Dr Griffin as a man whose wisdom and ambition in establishing the institution impacted positively on the lives of thousands.

“Let me offer a word of advice to our students: your parents and guardians have sacrificed for you to be in school because it’s a better option to arm you with education as an inheritance,” he said.

Starehe Boys Centre has for decades been ranked among the top performing schools in Kenya.

TRAINING INSTITUTIONS

At the same time, the governor said it is not right for a student’s future to be decided by a two-hour examination.

“Therefore, the education system should use continuous assessment tests to grade students. Also, schools should look for the strength in every child and enhance it.

“If a student is strong in music, he should be encouraged to do music; if a student is strong in sciences, that is what should be promoted,” said Mr Sonko. The county boss his administration has taken education seriously, noting that Nairobi is the only county that offers free Early Childhood Development Education where each pupil receives Sh3,500.

"We recently launched full scholarships for 60,000 secondary school students. We are also investing heavily in our technical and vocational training institutions,” he said.