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Rusinga Schools Turns 50 By Building What Kenya's Innovation Economy Needs Most
Gerald Kombo & Henry Naminde
December 05, 2025
Fifty years ago, a group of visionaries founded Rusinga Schools with a belief that education shapes futures. On December 3rd, 2025, at Nairobi Baptist Church on Ngong Road, the institution marked this milestone by unveiling plans for something significant: the Rusinga Innovation Hub.
The hub will provide dedicated space for technological exploration and STEM learning, equipping students with skills in coding, programming, and robotics. The school also plans to host the Annual Rusinga Hackathon, bringing young innovators together to solve contemporary challenges through technology.
"For five decades, Rusinga Schools has nurtured and developed thousands of young people who have gone on to excel in various fields. The launch of the Innovation Hub reflects our dedication to preparing future leaders who will shape Kenya's economy."
Why This Matters Now
Today's students will enter a world that looks nothing like the one previous generations knew. Rusinga Schools has been developing an approach centered on what educators call student agency, where learners take charge of their own learning rather than passively receiving information.
In what the school calls the field classroom, teachers facilitate rather than dominate instruction. Students work with gadgets for research, undertake projects, and engage more actively in their education. This shift from teacher-centered to student-centered learning reflects broader changes in how effective education is understood globally.
The Innovation Hub Vision
The hub represents a five-year strategic plan that Rusinga Schools officially unveiled at the anniversary celebration. Infrastructure has already been put in place. Importantly, the center is designed to benefit not just Rusinga students, but other institutions and creators who need access to innovation space.
The Annual Rusinga Hackathon will give students opportunities to work on technology-driven solutions alongside peers, moving from concepts to actual prototypes.
"We want to build a center that even will benefit other institutions and also other creators, that they can get into a space and innovate and grow their ideas."
Strong Educational Foundation
Rusinga Schools is a founding member of the Kenya Association of International Schools and achieved Council of International Schools (CIS) accreditation in 2021. The school has partnered with the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development on implementing the Competency-Based Curriculum across Kenya.
The institution also runs a Continuous Professional Development Programme to ensure teachers can effectively guide students through evolving approaches to learning.
Technology's Role In Learning
As artificial intelligence and digital tools become more central to how work happens across sectors, Rusinga Schools believes education must adapt. The Innovation Hub is designed to normalize exposure to coding, robotics, and digital creation as part of regular learning, not as separate add-ons.
"Education, the way it's going, is governed now by AI and of course, innovation and technology. So the space of education cannot be the conservative way of looking at things."
About Rusinga Schools
Founded in 1975 by Dr. Jacob Mwangi, Mrs. Rose Mwangi, and a group of local Christians and expatriate missionaries, Rusinga Schools has grown into a CIS-accredited institution serving students in Kenya. The 50th Anniversary celebration on December 3rd, 2025 at Nairobi Baptist Church, Ngong Road, marked the official unveiling of the strategic plan to operationalize the Rusinga Innovation Hub.
Leadership Team
Mrs. Wanjiru Githanga, School Chaplain
Mrs. Githanga provides spiritual guidance and pastoral care to the Rusinga Schools community.
Mr. Julius Karanja, Head of Prep School
Mr. Karanja leads the Prep School at Rusinga Schools.
Mr. Juma Nyamori, Head Teacher
Mr. Nyamori serves as Head Teacher at Rusinga Schools and spoke at the 50th Anniversary celebration about the Innovation Hub and the school's vision for technology in education.
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