As a peripatetic speaker, I sat to write this piece while holed up in a hotel in the nerve-centre of Marsabit Town. For at the tail-end of second term of 2025 of the schools’ calendar, I decided to visit the Northern Frontiers: to speak to students at St. Andrew’s Boys School, Sasura Girls School, Moyale Girls School and Moi Girls School in Marsabit County. In retrospect, I decided to take a mental flight back to the sunset of 90s. I remember fondly, when I was a pre-teen in STD 7 and 8 at Anyiko Primary School in Gem, I had noble teachers who taught us with pizzazz. One of them was Mwalimu James Oduor, who is now retired, but not tired. For after he retired from teaching, he “re-tyred”, wore new tyres in church. He is a pastor at Duond Warruok Kod Chang, Voice of Salvation and Healing (VOSH).
Again, while I was still an egg not yet a cock, learning at Anyiko Primary School, Mwalimu Oduor, taught us English in STD 7. As a scribe, I describe Mwalimu Oduor as noble for he was able to teach us beyond the four walls of the mud-walled rickety classrooms. Being that our school was sponsored by the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK), mwalimu introduced us to the classic hymns we see and sing in the corpus of church poetry — Golden Bells.
This, for me, was quite intriguing. For earlier, I was leaning on firm faith of my grizzled granny, Nyar Got Regea. Mine was akin to what Apostle Paul of Tarsus reminds Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:5: Of the unfeigned faith of in his grandees — mother Eunice, and grandmother Loise. My grandma was, and still is, a devoted Roman Catholic. So, when I lost my parents at childhood, I stayed with her from childhood to the time I became a young adult. The best gift grandma gave me was introducing me to Church. Therein, I was able to meet and interact with scriptures, songs, prayers and chants in Church. Through rote-learning at the St. Mary’s Yala Catholic Church, we reeled in riveting renditions led by some two tough catechists. Splendid indeed, I developed a deep eidetic and poetic mind.
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So, at Anyiko Primary School perched along Yala-Butere Road, Mwalimu Oduor introduced us to the classic hymns. So, I learnt how to hum hymns such as What a Friend We Have in Jesus, which led to my Christ-consciousness. Now wonder, when the Diguna missionaries visited our school when I was 12 years old in STD 7, I decided to accept the aegis of Jesus. I understood the Roman Road to Salvation (Romans 3:23; 6:23; 5:8; 10:9; 5:1-2). Ipso facto, my conscience was convinced to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Then, I joined Christian Outreach Ministries.
Moreover, I listened to hymns while taking note of lovely lines and lyrics. I discovered that some classic hymns had parts that talked about Heaven and eternal life. I mean, the now and hereafter. Ideally, such consciousness makes us live a life replete with purpose — reason of existence. Again, we think of mortality and vanity rife in this life. As put aptly in Ecclesiastes 12:12, Solomon in the intensity of his sagacity advises us. Quoth he, “… Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.” Furthermore, in the hymn Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me, the last stanza goes like: While I draw this fleeting breath, /When mine eyes shall close in death, /When I soar to worlds unknown, /See Thee on Thy judgement throne, /Rock of Ages, cleft for me, /Let me hide myself in thee.
Consequently, when I joined Nyamninia Secondary School in Gem-Yala on Kisumu-Busia Road, I also ascertained that the school was sponsored by the St. Mark’s ACK. Therefore, we still sang hymns taught by school chaplain. Then, while newbies in Form One, our teacher of English, Principal Achieng’ Ochieng’, introduced us to pulchritude of poetry. Largely, my head and heart saw the connection between hymns and poetry. More so: the lovely lines, licence, stanzas and diction. I learnt: every song is a poem. Classic hymns carry music. Hymns are poems that are orisons. And in the years of yore, St. Augustine of Hippo said, “Singing is praying twice.” This is the reason poetry is my pet subject in English. I developed intense interest in it. No wonder, all the students I taught English at Rev. Musa Gitau Girls School and Good Samaritan Secondary School, will still attest: I loved to latch onto poetry. Furthermore, in 2017, together with Jackson Makula, we co-authored Nuts and Bolts of Secondary Poetry, which teachers use as a reference book.
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Additionally, when I matriculated into Presbyterian University of East Africa (PUEA), I learnt more about hymns. For instance, I heard sermons from polymaths such as Rev. Prof. Gerishon Kirika and Rev. Dr. Japhet Ndhlovu. In one of the phenomenal preaching, one of them explained the provenance of the hymn Amazing Grace by John Newton (1725-1807). Before his Saul-to-Paul-like conversion, John Newton was an English slave trader and a faithless seaman.
But he later became a man of deep faith, Anglican minister and hymn writer. No wonder, he wrote: Amazing grace, how sweet the sound/that saved a wretch like me. /I once was lost, but now I’m found;/Was blind, but now I see. As I conclude, students should know the background of hymn writers such as Amazing Grace by John Newton whose past was bad. Or It is Well with My Soul /When Peace Like a River by Horatio Spafford, whose past was sad. For Hymns are transformative: they can inform, form and transform students. For students are going through transformation — formation while on transit. Annotations: In the sequel of this essay, I will say why schools should teach East African, national, school and class anthems.
By Victor Ochieng’
The writer rolls out talks and training services in schools. vochieng.90@gmail.com. 0704420232
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