The History of Jeanes School, Kabete 

In 1920, Britain’s quest for supremacy in Africa was strengthened when it made the East Africa Protectorate a colony and renamed it Kenya. By this time, the white settler community’s dominance extended into different spheres. It spanned from land ownership in the fertile-most regions called the White Highlands to political representation on the Legislative Council. Emboldened by their achievements and by the developments in South Africa where European settlers had attained self-rule, a delegation travelled to London in 1923. While there, they demanded independent rule from the colonial government. Their requests entailed restricted Asian migration into the colony and total exclusion of Africans from the governance of their territory.  

The Colonial Secretary, Lord Devonshire, barred their demands. He stated, “the interests of the African natives must be paramount… if and when those interests and the interests of the immigrant races should conflict, the former should prevail.” This landmark ruling – known as the Devonshire White Paper – did little to improve the living conditions of Africans. But its consideration of their welfare sparked the colonial government’s interest in African education. The provision of education to Africans had previously been left to the missionaries, with the colonial government having taken the stance that Africans were simply not educable.  

Establishment of Jeanes School 

After the Devonshire White Paper, an American non-profit called the Phelps-Stoke Fund was commissioned to formulate an education system catering to African needs. In its recommendations, the commission stressed the importance of character training as part of education. In application of this theory, it recommended the establishment of a school to train supervisors who would in turn train teachers. This led to the establishment of Jeanes School at Kabete in 1925. The school was named after Anna T. Jeanes, an American philanthropist who funded rural education for black Americans. 

A course at Jeanes School took two years. Men who were picked for this special training were accompanied by their wives and children to the school. While the men devoted themselves to the three R’s, gardening, handiwork, and health training, their wives received instruction on homemaking, cooking, and infant care. Upon completing their education, the family would return to their rural community and travel around the region overseeing the work done by the “less educated teachers in the bush schools”. They also trained villagers on matters around sanitation and farming methods.  

The Success of a Social Experiment 

The Jeanes School concept of education was hailed by the government and implemented in other African colonies such as Nyasaland and Southern Rhodesia. A second branch of the school was also established in Maseno in Kenya’s Nyanza region. The school was not only a teacher training program, but it was also a psychological study of Africans. European staff recorded their observations about how Africans received instruction to refine their theories on the educability of Africans. The success of the school changed the narrative about Africans – the conclusion being that they were educable but inferior and childlike in comparison to white people.  

The Jeanes concept was not without its flaws. Due to the self-important attitude, the school fostered in its graduates, there was often friction between the teachers and village elders. The latter often felt condescended upon. In addition, this model of education encouraged the subservience of African women and presumed a lack of proficiency in their capabilities outside the home.  Nonetheless, the school was documented as a successful educational venture. Its mandate extended beyond teacher training in 1932 to include the training of agricultural and welfare officers. 

A Change in Status Quo 

The Second World War upturned many systems as all efforts became concerted towards emerging victorious. During this period, operations at Jeanes School were temporarily halted and the site was converted into a military training center. The site also became a base of operations for the government’s public information work. Learning resumed after the war. But with the journey to Kenyan independence having begun, Jeanes School was heading towards a season of change. 

In 1961, independence was looming in Kenya and necessary preparations were being made for this transition.  As the colonial government began opening higher ranks of administration to Africans, the need for a facility to train civil servants became apparent. To meet this need, Jeanes School, Kabete was converted into the Kenya Institute of Administration in 1961. And with that, Jeanes School, Maseno became Maseno Training Centre. These new institutes offered courses in community administration, and office and personnel management. With the closure and restructure of Jeanes School, the health training it previously offered was reinstituted. This was through the establishment of the Kenya Medical Training College.  

Establishment of Other Tertiary Institutions 

More changes occurred in subsequent years, with the renaming of Maseno Training Centre to Maseno Government Training Institute in 1967. In 1990, the institute was merged with Siriba Teachers’ College to form Maseno University College, which eventually became Maseno University. In 2012, the Kenya Institute of Administration was renamed Kenya School of Government. It also shifted its focus to offer management training and advisory services to the public sector. 

The history of Jeanes School is a rich tapestry that weaves Kenya’s independence journey with colonial-era educational policies. Drop a comment if you attended the school or any of its offshoots! What years were you a student of the institution? 

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