Mang'u High School is a national high school established in 1925, located near Thika, Kenya.
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The school was started in 1925 by a Dutch priest, Father Witte, C.S.Sp. at Kabaa. In 1939, the school was moved to a new site at Mang'u Village on 22 acres of land and because of accessibility it became known as Mang'u High School. In the early 1960s the Holy Ghost Fathers transferred the management of the school to Marianist Brothers. The Marianist Brothers introduced an Aviation programme in Mang'u High School and there was an urgent need for expansion. To create room for the aviation programme, the Board of Governors purchased a new site for the school, acquiring land 214 acres (0.87 km2) six kilometres from Thika Town along the Thika-Nairobi Highway. In 1972 the Marianist Brothers moved Mang'u High School to its current site. At the time of moving the headmaster was Prof. Raphael J. Njoroge, the first African headmaster of the school. The school was to be put up in three phases.
It was the first school to introduce aviation as an examinable subject. The motto is “Jishinde Ushinde” - "Conquer Yourself to Conquer".
Mang'u High School has consistently maintained itself as A passing school. It does well in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education and is always among the top ten schools nationwide.[1][2] The school is very competitive to join, and only the students who perform best in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education are offered admission, though there has been controversy in the past where powerful politicians secure a place for their children though they did not perform well. In 2006 it was seventh nationwide. In 2007, Mang'u regained its original position by once again leading the whole country in High school performance. Mang'u dethroned longtime rival school Alliance, which dropped to the 9th position.
Mungu ibariki Mang'u High,
Ibariki viongozi wake,
Katika michezo masomo,
Mang'u High tuwe washindi,
Mang'u High na watu wake,
Ibariki, Mang'u High! (X2)
Ibariki, Mang'u High na watu wake,
Mang'u High tuwe washindi!
Among the high profile politicians who studied at Mang'u High School are President Mwai Kibaki who attained the maximum possible score, former Vice-President Moody Awori, Cabinet ministers George Saitoti who was also a former vice president, John Michuki who also met President Mwai Kibaki at Mang'u and is a former school captain. Other cabinet ministers are Dr Mukhisa Kituyi, Kipruto Arap Kirwa, Cyrus Jirongo and the late Tom Mboya who was one of Kenya's principal leaders that agitated for independence plus other members of parliament. Other notable alumni include Cardinal Maurice Michael Otunga, Archbishop Ndingi Mwana Nzeki, Archbishop John Njenga who also met Mwai Kibaki and Moody Awori at Mang'u and says he taught Hon. Awori catechism. Others are Bishop Antony Muheria, Josphat Konzolo former director NSSF (National Social Security Fund) and Dr. Joshua Noreh who performed Kenya's first Invitro-fertilization. Prof. Raphael J. Njoroge, Ph.D. is an educationist who is not only a former student of the school but was also its first African headmaster.
The first phase of construction was completed in 1972 and the 253 students moved in. After that, very little has been done to complete the second phase and nothing for the third phase, yet the student population is already in the third phase.
The school vehicles were very old until the management bought two new mini-buses. There is only one laboratory block, while some schools in the caliber of Mang'u High School have as many as eight laboratories. The science teachers have to perform some of the experiments at night, lunch-break, games time or during the weekend so as to cover the syllabus. Although the school offers Agriculture, there is no workshop.
The Aviation students undertake most of their studies at Wilson Airport because there is no proper aviation workshop or a fuselage. The situation, however has changed over time with the acquisition of a Beechcraft two engine aircraft. The visits to Wilson continue, to keep the student abreast of new technology.
The school is also known as "'Dayton'" because of the school's association with University of Dayton, a Catholic university founded by the Society of Mary (the Marianists) in 1850 in Dayton, Ohio, United States.