When Tharaka Secondary School opened its doors on the 6th of May, 1969, it had 26 students, no permanent buildings, and a borrowed hall at the MCK Church in Marimanti. Fifty-five years later, it has produced thousands of graduates who carry its values — discipline, perseverance, harmony, loyalty — into every corner of Kenya and beyond. We spoke with alumni from across five decades about what TSS gave them.

The Class of 1973: Building something from nothing

Those who attended TSS in its earliest years remember a school still finding its feet. Classes were held in temporary structures. Resources were scarce. And yet, the spirit was extraordinary.

“We did not have much, but we had teachers who believed in us completely. That belief was everything. It made us believe in ourselves.” — TSS alumnus, Class of 1973

Several alumni from this era went on to careers in government, teaching, and public service — carrying into their professions the ethic of building something meaningful from limited resources. It is a lesson the school itself had modelled.

The 1990s generation: Discipline as a gift

Alumni who graduated in the 1990s tend to speak most about discipline. TSS was, and remains, a boarding school with clear expectations. Morning preps. Chapel. Study halls. A structured day that left little room for idleness.

Many recall resenting the strictness at the time. Most of them now credit it as one of the most valuable things the school gave them. In a world of competing distractions, the ability to focus, follow through, and delay gratification has proved worth more than any single examination grade.

Recent graduates: A school on the rise

Members of the Classes of 2015 to 2020 speak of a school in visible ascent — improving academically year on year, competing nationally in swimming, volleyball, drama, and the sciences, and building a reputation that extends well beyond Tharaka Nithi County.

“When I tell people I went to Tharaka Secondary School, I say it with pride now. The school is going places — you can feel it.”  — TSS alumnus, Class of 2019

Across every generation, one theme repeats without prompting: TSS taught them to strive. Not to accept the first result. Not to be satisfied with good when excellent was possible. The motto — Strive for Excellence — was not just a phrase painted on a wall. It was lived daily, in classrooms and on sports fields and in the quiet hours of late-night study.

Fifty-five years on, that remains the school’s most enduring gift to every man who has passed through its gates.