For many students at Muna Senior School in Limuru, university once felt like a destination meant for other people. It belonged to students from wealthier families, better-resourced schools and backgrounds far removed from their own. For some, completing Form Four was seen as the natural end of their education.

Then came Strathmore University.

Through its Community Service Centre, Strathmore has spent the past five years building a partnership with Muna Senior School that has done more than introduce learners to university life. It has helped them imagine a different future and, more importantly, believe that such a future could belong to them.

The partnership began in 2021, when Strathmore’s Community Outreach team visited Muna. Led by Christina Garashi, together with Frankie Gikandi, then Principal of neighboring Kimlea College, and Christine Njane, a Strathmore Law student, the team addressed the entire school before creating spaces for boys and girls to engage in candid group conversations and one-on-one mentorship.

The sessions were simple but powerful: listen to the learners, understand their challenges, answer their questions and encourage them to see beyond the limitations of their circumstances. Two years later, the connection proved to be more than a one-off outreach visit.

Christine had graduated from Strathmore, but that did not end her relationship with Muna. She mobilised her former classmates and returned with them to speak to the learners once again. Her return demonstrated something at the heart of the partnership that community service can create relationships that continue long after a student leaves university.

In 2024, the partnership took another significant step.

Instead of Strathmore travelling to Muna, Muna’s For Four candidates and their teachers travelled to Strathmore University. The university bus collected them from Limuru, and the learners were hosted at the Nairobi campus at Strathmore’s own cost, including transport and lunch.

For some students, the journey was more than a school trip. It was their first experience of Nairobi. For others, it was the first time they had entered a university, sat inside a lecture hall, explored a computer laboratory or experienced facilities they had previously only imagined.

Each year, the experience has been carefully designed by Christina and her team to expose learners to the possibilities available after secondary school. They tour lecture halls, libraries, computer laboratories, innovation centres and recreational facilities. They learn about university courses, admission requirements and scholarships.

But perhaps the most powerful part of the experience is the people they meet. Muna learners encounter Strathmore students whose stories sound familiar; young people who also came from humble backgrounds, worked hard, secured scholarships and found their way into university.

Suddenly, university is no longer an abstract idea.

It has faces.

It has stories.

And it has people who look like them.

As Muna’s Form Four Class Representative, Martin Karanja, reflected after the 2026 visit: “We did not just tour the university, you showed us a pathway to our future.”

That pathway is already producing results.

According to Muna Senior School’s impact report, five learners have attained a mean grade of C+ and above since the partnership began, qualifying them for university admission. More broadly, a growing number of Muna graduates are now progressing to universities and tertiary colleges, a shift the school says was not previously common among its learners.

For Evans Mathaga, the impact of the Strathmore experience became personal. A former School President in the Class of 2024, Evans is now pursuing a Diploma in Automotive Engineering at Kiambu National Polytechnic. He credits the university tour with giving him confidence in his career choice and motivating him to work towards his goals.

For Sharon Soke, another member of the Class of 2024, the experience helped shape her ambitions. Today, she is training to become a nurse. “Today, I am training as a nurse,” Sharon says. “Looking back, that visit played a meaningful role in shaping my career aspirations.”

The impact, however, cannot be measured only by the number of students who progress to higher education. It is also visible in the way learners think about themselves.

Teachers at Muna report that candidates return from the visits energised and more determined to perform well in their KCSE examinations. Students who once considered university beyond their reach now talk openly about college, careers and their future.

The programme has also reminded learners that success is not limited to academic excellence.

During the 2025 visit, Muna students met Brian Wesaala, SUAYA winner, 2024 and Founder & President, The Football Foundation for Africa (FFA).An organisation focused on identifying emerging talent in football and other fields. His story resonated with students whose strengths extend beyond the classroom.

For Nickson Asinji, a member of the Class of 2025, the visit sparked a lasting interest in co-curricular activities. “The visit was like exploring another world,” he wrote in a letter dated July 8, 2026. He recalls being inspired by Strathmore students who had achieved strong academic results despite coming from humble backgrounds. He also developed a stronger interest in sport and continues to play volleyball.

The 2026 visit brought another layer to the experience. The girls were particularly inspired by Brian’s session on Stephen R. Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, while Millicent encouraged them with practical guidance on achieving university-level grades.

Their response was immediate. “We were encouraged to work hard and join you next year,” the Form Four girls wrote. “Nothing is unachievable.”

That shift in mindset may be one of the partnership’s greatest achievements. For the Community Service Centre, outreach is not simply about taking resources into communities. It is about creating opportunities for people to see themselves differently and equipping them with the confidence to act on that new vision.

Muna’s Deputy Principal, Martin Ndungu, captures this impact clearly: “This experience is not only educational but also deeply inspiring for our students as they look toward their future academic paths.”

Teacher Disney Warothe describes the programme as “top-notch”, particularly for exposing learners to the value of giving back to society.

At Muna, Strathmore has therefore done more than open the doors of a university. It has opened a window into possibility.

A student who once thought Form Four was the end can now picture a polytechnic. A learner interested in nursing can see herself becoming a professional. A young volleyball player can recognise that talent, discipline and hard work can also create a future.

And a school that once saw higher education as distant can now point to its own alumni and say: it is happening.

As Muna Senior School looks ahead, its message to Strathmore is simple: do not stop. Because sometimes, changing a life does not begin with a scholarship or a textbook. Sometimes, it begins with a student stepping onto a university campus for the first time, looking around in wonder and quietly thinking:  “Maybe I belong here too.”

To Madam Jacinta Marima- Ndicu of Muna Secondary School

My sincere gratitude for the report you compiled. It was an invaluable resource that provided all the content I needed to write my article. Your thorough research, the data you gathered, and especially the personal anecdotes you included gave my work depth and authenticity. Thank you for making my task so much easier. I truly appreciate your efforts.-Nekesa

Article by Nekesa Teresa