John O’Grady writes;
This is a brief Barua to inform you of what has recently happened at Lenana school.
Last month a fire engulfed and completely gutted Tom Mboya House (previously called Upper Junior
House) at the school. No one died because the fire raged during morning Assembly and classes. A
couple of days later 2 pupils were arrested in the process of trying to set fire to Lower Junior House.
14 other pupils have since been sent home. Investigations into the cause of the fire in Tom Mboya
House are ongoing.
Two weeks ago Lenana was closed as were all the other schools in the country. All pupils were sent
home. Kenya is in a partial lockdown with many businesses closed and others under curfew.
This last week two Houses at Lenana (Delamere and Thomson) were designated to be some form of
facility for Covid-19 control. On Tuesday an initial group of 32 people returning to Kenya from
abroad were placed into quarantine there. More are expected.
So, quite a lot of unusual things going on there.
The process of identifying new potential recipients for our OKT/MKT Bursaries was begun before all
of the above but is now stalled. We expect to award at least 6 new Bursaries this year in addition to
the 12 we are currently providing. We hope that, with your financial help, we shall be able to do
even more next year. Given the fire and all the other impacts that the lockdown will have on the
ability of parents, especially those in the more tourist-dependent regions of the country, to pay the
required school fees, we are seeking your help.
We, the OKT and MKT Trustees, are increasingly aware of the interest Old Boys take in the school
and would like to meet up with others at events or smaller gatherings such as a golf day or even a
lunch. With this in mind, we would welcome offers from anyone who would be happy to establish a
local network of Old Yorkists in their region or locality. We think that by establishing a network of
Ambassadors or Key Enablers who could reach out to others, it would provide a means of
communication and contact that could be beneficial and rewarding for those with an enduring
interest in the school, past and present.
Could I ask anyone to whom this appeals to contact either me at johnogrady@wanadoo.fr or Nigel
Gaymer at nigel.gaymer@btinternet.com or Alan May at mail@alanmay.co.uk. Thank you.
There will be a further Barua with updates and more shortly.
Our best wishes to you all.
John, Nigel, Alan, Alexander and Ronnie.