- Gilbert Kimani arrived at Kiambani Secondary School in 2020 to find three empty classrooms and virtually nothing else.
- Lydia Ngoolo traces his journey from an accidental teacher to a mentor who helped build a school from scratch.
- After 36 years in teaching, Kimani has retired from service but continues his studies as a PhD student in Education.
When he reported to Kiambani Secondary School in 2020, Gilbert Kimani observes there was nothing to report to. No watchman, no lockers, no seats, no chalk, no books. Just three empty classrooms built by CDF, waiting for learners who were yet to come.
“We borrowed one chair from the primary school. During break time, one teacher would remain standing or lean on the tree; during class time, of course, the other teacher could use the chair,” he recalls.
Six years later, Kimani is leaving a school with four new classrooms, an administration block, a borehole, a greened compound, laboratory equipment, ample toilets, and a mean score that takes seven students to university every year.
After 36 years of service from 1990 to 2026, the long-serving teacher has retired not as a tired civil servant, but as a PhD student in Education who says, given another chance, he would still choose the blackboard.
He did not dream of being a teacher. He pursued Agriculture at university, but while still on campus, he watched his colleagues get employed by the Teachers Service Commission even before they could complete their studies, envied their stability and joined teaching.
“That’s how I found myself in TSC, and I have never looked back. I was just an accidental teacher and an intentional mentor to those who passed through my hands,” he says with a laugh.
What started as an accident became a calling. He later upgraded to a Bachelor of Education, then a Master’s, and is now pursuing a PhD in Education.
“Character-wise, many have changed through my hands. I have several boys and girls from my home area doing well because of encouragement,” he says.
His mentorship stretched beyond Kenya, with one of his former students now sponsored in Tanzania through talent nurturing.
Kiambani was his toughest assignment. In the first week of 2020, only 13 students showed up. The school had no support staff and no furniture.
Retired Kiambani Secondary School Principal Gilbert Kimani in his office on his final day in service.“We borrowed lockers from the primary school. A well-wisher politician visited us with 15 lockers,” he remembers.
The school grew by giving tokens to students to bring their friends. Then COVID-19 struck and forced closure. When schools reopened, Kiambani had three forms and only three teachers.
“We hired teachers for two terms. We were in semi-permanent structures. At one point, we gave out our staffroom to students and teachers went to sit under a tree,” he says.
Help came. Current Kibwezi West MP Mwengi Mutuse donated an administration block even before he was elected, driven by his love for education. In 2022, the school received a CBC classroom and a four-classroom block from CDF, built with a storey foundation.
Today, the KCSE results speak for themselves. In 2024, out of 49 candidates, 37 scored grades that secured them opportunities, with the top candidate joining university to pursue Law. Last year, seven joined university, with the top student taking Software Engineering.
“The acceptance by the community, the PTA and BOM helped me manoeuvre through hardships,” he says. At one point, the Board was paying 14 BOM teachers, a heavy burden they shouldered for the sake of the learners.
Transforming the school and its learners
Kimani is proud that, with Makindu being dusty and dry, the school compound was no exception. Through a financier, the school drilled a borehole and greened the compound.
“We encourage students to do work at home. Many of our students are dropouts from other schools. We maintain the needy and transform them into useful people in society,” he says.
Effective practicals are now possible after the school purchased good laboratory equipment, though they still use a classroom as a laboratory.
“The Ministry promised to build a lab. It is a serious need,” he says.
Beyond academics, the school offered a strong Christian foundation and used its land for agricultural projects.
Comparing the previous curriculum with the current one, and having taught under both systems, he is a strong defender of Competency-Based Education.
“I started with 8-4-4. CBE has a lot of benefits. No grade goes to waste. It is learner-centred and the learner can drive you to the area of their need, only if challenges are addressed,” he argues.
Retirement, but not the end
Of the challenges and regrets in his service, he says urban schools come with urban challenges. Poor parenting, he says, is the biggest.
“Being located in an urban area, many children lack guidance at home, but teachers have become their role models and transform them through good mentorship,” he notes.
Ministry policies and tough decision-making also took a toll.
“It is not possible to live a smooth life, but you recollect yourself and move on,” he says.
Now, having wound up his service at Kiambani Secondary School, he says he is enjoying a new kind of freedom at home while working towards his PhD.
“Besides retiring, I want my title to change to Dr Kimani,” he adds.
“There are no deadlines. They are mine, if at all there are any. My boss is just whatever condition which may make me incapacitated,” he says.
He was psychologically and physically prepared for retirement, calling upon all employees to always prepare for a soft landing by providing for and caring for their families. His children have completed school and are employed. He says he has given space to the young ones.
“People fear change, but it should be accepted. Many are afraid to retire and don’t mind about what the young ones will do if they don’t vacate and create that space when time comes,” he advises.
READ ALSO: TSC reshuffles County, Sub-County Directors in fresh administrative changes
From a borrowed chair under a tree to a PhD class, his story is a lesson in resilience — that a school is not built by walls, but by teachers who refuse to give up on children.
By Lydia Ngoolo
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