Primary school in Kisumu was a source of great pride for the Aga Khan
His Highness The Aga Khan hold a Luo shield presented by Mayor Ezra Gumbe after he was made an honorary citizen of Kisumu in a ceremony at the Town Hall on March 17,1981.
When he visited the Aga Khan Primary School in Kisumu on March 16, 1981, His Highness the Aga Khan IV could barely hide his satisfaction with the institution.
In 1978 and 1979, just two years before his visit, the school had done extremely well in the Certificate of Primary Education examinations. It had recorded 100 per cent passes in the exams in the two years. In 1979, it was the best performing school in the country.
The Aga Khan IV, a firm believer in education, emphasised the crucial role the school played in grooming the younger generation to achieve their dreams. To him, education was one of the best ways of helping the young people to prepare for their future.
“Since 1957, the date on which my grandfather died and I inherited his office as the Imam of the Ismaili Jamat, there have been days of hard work and days of great satisfaction, and this is one such day, one of great, great satisfaction,” said the Aga Khan IV. “An institution such as this gives me, and I underline this, very, very great happiness because it means that where there is goodwill, unity, hard work and competence, the highest results can be achieved.”
His Highness Aga Khan IV with his books as a student at Harvard University, USA, 1958
In a speech well-kept in the institution's library, more than 43 years after his visit, the Aga Khan IV congratulated the school’s then headteacher, Ms Tejpar, students and staff for their contribution towards making the school one of the finest in Kenya and Africa at large. A good school, he said, is not about the buildings only, but also the faculty and students.
Aga Khan IV
The Aga Khan IV had also expressed his plans to build a secondary section of the school.
“My hope and prayer is that all of the students here will find happiness, enjoyment and unity in their education and that, as years go by, they will carry worthily into the future development of Kenya, the name of this primary school,” he said.
The school’s good performance, he noted, could only be attributed to the hard work, unity and the intent to succeed as had been portrayed by the institution’s teaching staff. He said that throughout the developing world, teaching is a profession that had not received the credit, admiration and respect which it should receive.
“I would like the faculty to know that whether it be this school here in Kisumu, or in any other part of the world, those who are teaching the future generations are the people to whom I attribute the greatest respect, the greatest admiration, and I would wish them to know that they have my whole-hearted support for their future and my whole-hearted gratitude for the service which they are rendering to our future generations,” he said.
The following day, the Aga Khan proceeded to a ceremony at the city’s townhall where the then Kisumu mayor Ezra Gumbe made him an honorary citizen of Kisumu.
This however was not the last visit of the Aga Khan IV to the school, as explained by the current headteacher Kerry Ouma. He toured the school again in 1992.
Mr Ouma eulogised the Aga Khan IV as a leader who did a lot for humanity.
“He did not put a lot of emphasis on religion or background. That is a big legacy that we will live to remember for a long time,” he said.
Mr Kerry Ouma, the headteacher of Aga Khan Primary School, Kisumu in his office at the institution on February 6, 2025.
While he never got a chance to interact with the leader, Mr Ouma says those who did described the Aga Khan as a thoughtful person whose ideas went beyond the obvious. The Aga Khan, he said, would pay attention and ask questions that his listeners never imagined.
“He would have long-term plans, putting in mind what would be the effect of what he did in the next 50 or so years, that shows you just how visionary he was” said Mr Ouma.
The objective of the Aga Khan IV, he said, was to provide education at affordable rates and serve the local community.
“We have seen tremendous growth and change since he assumed the position of Aga Khan, he will be dearly missed,” he said.
The Kisumu school, alongside 10 others in various parts of the country, were part of his long-term plan as explained by Mr Ouma.
Ismaili immigrants
The history of the school dates to 1905 when a group of Ismaili immigrants settled in Kisumu and put up a Jamatkhana, a prayer hall. Due to their growing population, in 1921, the Ismaili’s established a school in one of the rooms of the Jamatkhana,.
His Highness the Aga Khan who was honoured by the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, for his work against poverty and in promoting religious understanding.
In 1943, qualified staff were engaged, and the standard of education was elevated and the school was soon held in high esteem both by the education department and the public.
In 1950, the school impressively scored a 95 percent pass in the Kenya Preliminary Examination.
Encouraged by the outstanding success, the Ismaili community launched an ambitious programme to build a better primary school.
Inspired and motivated by His Highness the Aga Khan III, the Ismaili community willingly committed its management skills and financial resources towards the national cause of providing modern educational facilities in the country.
In February 26, 1951 the school received a substantial grant from Aga Khan III and the Kenyan government to put up a new facility on the current land it sits on.
As at January 2025, over 5,000 learners had gone through the school, some now prominent personalities in the society, including Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga, Kisumu East MP Shakeel Shabhir and Tessie Mudavadi, the wife of Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi.
The school has also been recording sterling performance over the years in national examinations, making it the learning institution of choice. Currently, the school population stands at 600.