The magic behind No. 5 at Ruto’s alma mater Kapsabet Boys

At the prestigious Kapsabet Boys High School in Nandi County, the signage ‘you give us boys, we give you men’ prominently welcomes visitors into its tranquil and well-manicured lawns.

The school is acclaimed for producing distinguished members of society, locally and abroad, who occupy plum positions in the public and private sectors.

As Dr William Ruto took the oath of office at Kasarani sports complex on Tuesday, the school entered the annals of history for nurturing two heads of state. First was Kenya’s second President Daniel Moi and now Dr Ruto.

Humbling

Kapsabet Boys Chief Principal Kipchumba Maiyo calls it a humbling experience.

“True to our mantra, we receive young boys from all backgrounds across the country and what we do is to take them through the school tradition and ultimately we are humbled by who they become later in life,” he told the Nation.

“We model them through inspirational mentorship, mainly from old boys, and this has greatly shaped the thinking of the students over the years.”

Dr Ruto joined Kapsabet Boys on March 18, 1985 from Wareng High School for his A-levels and had a brilliant academic record.

“He joined Form 5G with the admission number 5,065 and was booked at Dorm 5, referred to as Cheruiyot, cube number five,” Mr Maiyo offered.

Did fate conspire?

The principal said fate conspired to have five as Dr Ruto’s magic number, because all his records had the digit.

He became the fifth President and his win was validated on September 5.

Although Mr Maiyo joined Kapsabet Boys many years after Dr Ruto had completed school, he said the President was already a staunch Christian when he joined and he immediately took up leadership roles, according to school records.

“He was selected to head Cheruiyot dormitory, and science and volleyball clubs. It is here that his agility as a leader came into play because he supervised students with a great sense of responsibility and motivation,” he stated.

Most popular dormitory

Mr Maiyo said the dorm that housed Dr Ruto was the most sought after by students because they saw it as a good omen.

“President Moi was housed in Kipnyigei dorm, which is beside Cheruiyot, and at the moment the latter is prominent,” he said. 

“Students believe if they reside there, they will ascend to prominence. As a school, these two buildings have been preserved to be part of our heritage, which we cherish so much.”

Mr Maiyo said Dr Ruto has visited the school a few times as part of the school tradition where alumni go to mentor students.

“We are very proud of him; he is now our distinguished alumni because of the position he holds in the country. And as we prepare to celebrate our centenary celebrations in 2025, we anticipate having him as our chief guest someday,” he said.

Government school

Founded in 1925 as Government African School, Kapsabet Boys is one of the oldest high schools in Kenya, established to educate African students when schools were still segregated by the British colonialists.

Over the years, the school has undergone many transformations to become among the most highly sought because of its consistent sterling performance in national examinations and its high moral standards. It has 2,100 students and a rich alumni group.

Alumni

The late Nicholas Biwott, the former powerful Cabinet minister and Keiyo MP, Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei, Nandi Governor Stephen Sang, former Agriculture minister Kipruto Kirwa, and former Education minister Henry Kosgey are among local politicians who passed through Kapsabet Boys. The 2016 Olympics Javelin silver medallist Julius Yego also studied there.

Students followed proceedings

On Dr Ruto’s inauguration, the school allowed students to follow proceedings on live television and later treated them to a special meal to celebrate his ascendancy to the country’s helm.

“As a school, we are proud to be associated with Dr Ruto and as he takes over the leadership of Kenya, we wish him the best and pray to God to always lead him to serve Kenya with great distinction and humility,” he said.

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