The Contribution of Alliance High School to the Leadership of Post-Colonial Kenya

Session Overview

On Tuesday, 31^st March, 2026, we, the members of the Avid Readers Forum converged at the Professorial Boardroom in our prestigious law school for the final Agora session of the semester. The meeting featured an audio-visual presentation, ‘Making of a Nation’, a documentary by Hillary Ng’weno centered on the legacy of Alliance High School (AHS) and its long-term impact on Kenyan governance. We held a discussion on the historical influence of Alliance High School on the leadership and political landscape of Kenya, noting that AHS celebrated its centenary on 1^st March, 2026.

This report presents a structured account of the Avid Readers’ session on the short story ‘Papa, Snake and I’, moderated by Billheart Braxtone on 17 March 2026. The session focused on analysing the major events, themes, and lessons derived from the narrator’s encounters with the snake referred to as “Snake.” The discussion examined how the narrator’s perception evolves from fear to understanding through repeated observation of the snake’s behaviour.

When it comes to outshining themselves, Kabarak Law Students seem to have a knack. Sharing a stage with a seasoned Kenyan artist during the Cultural Week Gala Night pales in comparison with having your writing dominate the subject of discourse in the same arena as renowned authors such as Chinua Achebe. Our very own Billheart Braxtone shared in this honor when discussions of the Avid Readers’ Forum were directed by his The Day Christianity was Banned in Africa.

The evening session of 24 February began with a summary of Mwalimu Julius Nyerere’s background from Jimmy Wambua who was the facilitator of the session.  A reflection of what it means to inherit a vision and its burdens hit the room as the narration by the two authors were read, making it the central guest in the room. The texts did not simply recount history; they demanded that we confront the paradox of leadership, vision, and the stubborn realities of development.

The third book club session of the year convened on 17th February. The evening involved a critical engagement with African leadership through the text: ‘Politics as a Vocation’, a lecture by Hon. Prof. Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o, excerpted from An Evening with Tom Mboya, published by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights. This seminal text provided a deep, reflective tribute to one of independent Africa’s most respected statesmanship. The primary aim of the discussion was to explore the author’s nuanced analysis of Thomas Joseph Mboya’s life, not merely as a historical retrospective but as a dynamic and necessary interrogation of leadership ethics for contemporary Kenya. The discussants discussed the text, forming a dialogue on hope, betrayals, vision and the enduring ethical questions of leadership. The session was moderated by Joy Kemboi.

Kabarak University Law School recently hosted a distinguished public lecture delivered by Prof. (Dr.) Leïla Choukroune, Professor of International Law and Director of the Global Justice and Rights Research Centre at the University of Portsmouth. The lecture brought together law students and faculty members for an in-depth discussion on contemporary developments in international investment law and global justice.