Mang’u High School is one of Kenya’s national boys’ secondary schools. The institution traces its roots back to 1925 when it was established at Kabaa by Dutch priest Michael Joseph Witte of the Holy Ghost Fathers (known as the Spiritans in Continental Europe).
The journey began on July 2, 1913, when the first priest moved to Kabaa to set up a mission on a 5-acre piece of land.
However, the mission was abandoned in 1920 due to a lack of converts. By that time, another Catholic mission had been established at Kilungu, where Michael Witte was running a Central School for Catechists by 1923.
Plans were made to expand the school into a Central Training School for Catechists. Witte and his superior at Kilungu, Fr. Horber, decided Kilungu was not suitable for the expansion.
They considered Mang’u, Riruta, and Kabaa as possible locations, with Witte favouring Kabaa. The bishop approved the choice.
On September 15, 1924, Witte, accompanied by Blais, travelled to Kabaa and reoccupied the abandoned mission to establish a Catholic Central School.
Although he initially announced the school’s opening, it was delayed due to incomplete buildings. He later sent out a circular to all Catholic parishes announcing that the Kabaa School would open on January 15, 1925.
The school held its first public examination—the Swahili Vernacular Exam—on October 11, 1926.
Mang’u High School history
In 1934, the Department of Education requested the decentralization of Kabaa. It was decided that Kabaa would retain a primary boarding school, while the secondary school would be moved elsewhere.
By early 1938, Kabaa hosted several institutions: the secondary school, elementary and lower primary teacher training centers, an elementary out-school, a primary school, and a technical school.
The Catholic Church decided to relocate the secondary school to a more accessible location.
On October 9, 1938, Principal Farrelly and two other priests visited Mang’u Mission, and by October 11, 1938, Mang’u was selected as the new site.
The secondary school officially moved from Kabaa to Mang’u at the end of 1939. Students reported to the new location after the holidays.
Farrelly became the first principal at the new site, accompanied by P. Kelly and G. Foley.
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The were later joined by Ignatius Mkok, a Kabaa alumnus who had just completed his teacher training at Makerere College. The new Mang’u High School opened for its first term on January 11, 1940.
In 1970, the school welcomed its first African principal, Raphael J. Njoroge, an alumnus of Mang’u.
The Marianist Brothers later introduced the aviation program, necessitating further expansion. To accommodate this, the Board of Governors acquired a 214-acre piece of land (approximately 0.87 km²) six kilometers from Thika Town along the Thika–Nairobi Highway.
In 1972, under Prof. Raphael J. Njoroge’s leadership, the school relocated to its current site.
Mang’u High School boasts a distinguished list of alumni, including Kenya’s third President, the late Mwai Kibaki; former Vice Presidents Moody Awori and the late Prof. George Saitoti; as well as former Cabinet Ministers the late John Michuki, the late Tom Mboya, Cyrus Jirongo, and Kipruto Arap Kirwa.
Performance
Mang’u is also known as the first secondary school in Kenya to introduce aviation as an examinable subject—a program the national institution continues to offer to date.
In January 2025, national carrier Kenya Airways (KQ) officially handed over its decommissioned Boeing 737-700 aircraft to the school for study purposes.
Each year, the school admits over 500 students based on academic merit and individual choice, in accordance with Kenya’s education policy.
Until 2023, admission was determined through performance in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination.
This was replaced by the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), introduced under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) framework.
Mang’u High School has remained a leading institution known for its competitive and rigorous academic programs. It consistently ranks among the top schools nationally in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).
In 2006, the school ranked seventh nationally in the KCSE. In 2007, it reclaimed the top spot, which it had last held in 1989. It ranked fourth in 2008 and has continued to produce top-performing students in national examinations.
In the 2024 KCSE, the school had 578 candidates, with more than 95% achieving the minimum university entry grade under full government sponsorship.
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107 students scored a straight A, while 164 scored an A-. Additionally, 114 students attained a B+, 99 scored a B, while 71 managed a B-.
23 students scored a C+, 21 scored a C, and the lowest grade recorded was a D+ and D, obtained by just two students.
The school’s impressive performance saw the 2024 candidates achieve a mean score of 10.011.
School Fees
The government previously issued a directive outlining the maximum annual school fees that parents should pay.
Under new guidelines introduced in 2020 by the Ministry of Education, Kenya’s 103 national schools were grouped into four clusters.
Mang’u High School was placed in Cluster Three (III), meaning the official annual fee cap for students is approximately Ksh75,798.
However, actual fees may vary slightly from school to school due to additional charges levied by individual institutions—such as for uniforms, motivation programs, or co-curricular activities.
For instance, total annual fees for 2025 academic year at Mang’u amounted to Ksh99,636 per student.
Location and contacts
The school is located in Mang’u near Witeithie in Kiambu County, approximately six Kilometers from Thika Town along the Thika–Nairobi Highway.
In case you have any complaints, queries, or comments, you can reach the institution’s administration through the contacts below.
Mobile phone/ telephone number: 0672220270
Postal address: P. O. Box 314-01000 THIKA
Official website: manguhigh.com
Mang’u High School KNEC code: 11200003
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