Chaka House Memories

A True Story

by Thuita J. Maina

on Mar 16, 2019

Picture related to the title of the story — *Starehians milling around Chaka House.*

A top high school in Kenya, Starehe Boys' Centre has a housing system similar to that of Yale College. Newly admitted students are assigned to a house where they stay throughout their Starehe years.

When I reported to the school on 17th January, 2002, I was assigned to stay in Chaka House, named after the Zulu chief who founded Southern Africa Zulu Empire in the 19th century.

The captain of Chaka in 2002 was Michael Mwangale. He received me warmly and had me address my housemates that day I reported to the school. Later on, he told my brother Paddy that I was a good boy.

Jesse Nyoro, a senior housemate, also received me warmly. He introduced me to music teachers when he heard I could play the piano and later on, he taught me the Kikuyu folk song that I presented for my KCSE music exam.

As the years wore on, Emmanuel Karanja became my hero in Chaka. A bright fellow a year ahead of me, he inspired me to learn computer programming during my Starehe years.

I participated in several inter-house competitions during my Chaka years, most notably in music and volleyball where my talents lay. In 2004 for example, I taught my house choir and took it past the preliminary stages.

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Also check out "A New Chapter".

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The Music Makers

A True Story

by Thuita J. Maina

on Mar 13, 2019

My friend, Moses Aran, went to All Saints' Cathedral with a trumpet one Sunday in 2006 when we were in Starehe Institute. He later told me congregants there gave him a round of applause for playing the trumpet well during a service.

One Saturday night the following year, I thought of also going to All Saints' Cathedral and see if I could be a pianist there during my years at JKUAT, which I was to join in a few weeks' time. I then asked Aran where the cathedral is.

"It's next to Uhuru Park," he replied, a tad too lightly.

So I went to the cathedral the following morning, sat through two services, and approached the organist after each service was over. Needless to say, only the organist I approached after the second service was welcoming.

He went out of his way to introduce me to the 9:30am English service choir when I told him I had some piano skills. I joined the choir, and two or three Sundays later, he allowed me to accompany it on the organ as it sang one hymn.

Like I had done at Starehe, I played the hymn ("I Will Sing the Wondrous Story", I think) well, which surprised some choristers at the cathedral. They looked at me with amazement as if I had discovered a cure for some major disease.

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Also check out "The Sister I Never Had".
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