Chewoyet High school in Kapenguria has long stood as a prestigious national school that has been able to produce top brass leaders in Kenya. Despite this, the school has unknown past of once being a hoarding cell for Jomo Kenyatta and other leaders arrested in 1952 popularly known as the Kapenguria 6.
According to The East African, when the British colonialists under then Governor Sir Evelyn Baring, declared a state of emergency on October 20, 1952 and arrested six political activists, they were taken to Kapenguria in northwestern Kenya because it was the most secure place for fear that the Mau Mau would break into any other cell.
Kapenguria, currently the headquarters of West Pokot County, 412km from the capital city Nairobi, would be the hidden point where the Kapenguria 6 would be charged and a judgement given by the colonial systems.
According to The East African, after the trial process for the six started, there was a problem in getting a place for the six to be locked in, given that there was a need to find room for the colonial officials and the guards too.
This led to a decision to move the six from the Kapenguria trial offices to a local Agricultural college that was later turned into Chewoyet High school where the six stayed as the trial continued.
The six detainees including Jomo Kenyatta, Bildad Kagia, Achieng Oneko, Paul Ngei, Fred Kubai and Kungu Karumba, were on trial for six months, from December 1952 to April 1953, found guilty and sentenced to seven years imprisonment with hard labour.
On the charge sheet were accusations against them, the main one being that between October 12, 1950 and October 20, 1952, they assisted the management of the Mau Mau and conspired together and with persons not before the court to commit a felony against the colonial government.
After the trial, the six were sentenced for seven years at Lokitaung prison, a sentence they later sought an appeal over through a lawyer connected to Oneko.
According to The Standard, Chewoyet High School started as a small secondary school in the area, converting the established makeshift courtrooms into a staffroom and a class.
The school grew unrivalled by other government schools for long where they enjoyed monopoly, only rivalled closely by Kapsabet Boys’ high school in the area.
The school grew to see great Kenyans get into ots alumni books including former Vice President the late Kijana Wamalwa, who was the first school captain and his brother, Eugene Wamalwa who is the current devolution Cabinet Secretary.
Others included Education PS Dr Bellio Kipsang, former Chief of General Staff Daudi Tonje, former Nairobi Town Clerk John Gakuo, and the late Rift Valley PC Ishmail Chelang’a.
The school holding to the motto for virtue and honesty also saw through education notable figures including former Prison Commissioners Abraham Kamakil and Edward Lopokoit, former Sigor MP Wilson Litole,, Kitale ACK Bishop Stephen Kewasis, Milimani courts Senior Principal Magistrate Linus Limatiang and Atinga John Ernest Oluoch, associate professor, orthopaedic and traumatology, University of Nairobi-School of Medicine.
