John Arthur - The Alliance High School

The Alliance High School

The opening up of education to Africans naturally opened up all manner of possibilities for new institutions at Kikuyu. The Alliance of Protestant Missions initially hoped to start a medical college at the mission station. The colonial Medical Department objected to such an idea, so the Alliance determined to create a high school instead. JS Smith notes that from the early 1920s, Dr Arthur had worked untiringly for the establishment of the school, often alone and often without missionary or government backing. In 1926, the High School was established, known as Alliance High School, and run under the auspices of the Alliance of Protestant Missions. Dr Arthur was the main speaker for the Alliance at the official opening day of AHS in 1926. Arthur served on the AHS Board of Governors for the next 11 years, as well as being Secretary to the Board for one term of office and Chairman of the Board for two terms of office. Alliance High School soon became the premier African boys school in Kenya. At the time of Kenyan Independence in 1963, 10 of the 17 cabinet ministers in Jomo Kenyatta's government were AHS alumni. At the AHS Speech Day in 1953, the school's second principal, Carey Francis, announced the death of Dr Arthur. It was decided that in Arthur’s honour and to remember his special contribution to the establishment of AHS, a house would be named after him, Arthur House. The official history of Alliance High School credits Arthur as being the most significant individual in the foundation of the school.