Let me take you back to the Kipande System Era. By the way, have you ever seen a Kipande? If you have, then you are among the lucky few. Some of us saw it for the first time this past week during the 5th Annual School of Accountancy-Strathmore Institute Alumni Brunch.

But this is not really about the kipande itself. It is about a journey. One that stretches back 60 years to the founding of the Strathmore School of Accountancy (SOA). At a time when Kenya had only five trained accountants, an idea was born that would go on to shape generations of professionals, leaders, and institutions across Kenya and beyond.

That reflection sets the tone for the 5th SOA-SI Alumni Brunch, where alumni, faculty, students, and friends of Strathmore Institute of Management Science (SI) gathered not only to reconnect, but also to soft-launch the SOA@60 Anniversary celebrations under the theme: Personal Impact, Collective Legacy. The event, which took place on Saturday, 9th May, 2026, was both a homecoming and a moment of reflection. A celebration where SOA had come from and where its community hoped to go.

Few people could tell that story better than Prof. David Sperling, the Founding Principal of Strathmore College, now Strathmore University. His reflections transported the room back to the institution’s earliest days. Arriving in Kenya in July 1960 simply to teach, he could not have imagined the role he would play in shaping one of the region’s most influential centres of professional education.

He explained that SOA was born out of a national need. Following independence, Kenya faced a severe shortage of accountants; “only five,” he recalled. Concerned by the situation, John Storey, a senior partner at Dunstan, Adams & Storey, pushed for action. Through his vision and persistence, an accountancy programme was approved, and on May 3rd, 1966, the School of Accountancy opened its doors with just 25 students. “We must remember and thank John Storey,” Prof. Sperling said.

From the beginning, SOA was envisioned as an East African institution serving Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, responding to an enormous demand for accounting professionals. At its opening ceremony, more than seventy CEOs attended in search of talent. He also shared a memorable encounter with a young Mwai Kibaki at Alliance High School. Faced with financial constraints, Kibaki chose accountancy because it offered sponsorship opportunities, a practical decision by a student who would later become President of Kenya.

The event also reflected on the institution’s remarkable evolution over six decades. On her aprt, Ms. Angelica Kiboro, SI Principal, addressed growing perceptions surrounding the transition of SOA into Strathmore Institute. “There have been murmurs suggesting that Strathmore Institute somehow swallowed SOA,” she said. “Let me state this with confidence and clarity. It did not. SOA remains alive and strong.”

SOA’s legacy has expanded through thousands of graduates, generations of top-performing professional students, and an institution that continues to redefine professional education. She also reflected on the institution’s continued pursuit of excellence, highlighting that between 2022 and 2025, Strathmore produced seventy-three ACCA global toppers, a testament to its enduring leadership in professional training. Yet even as she celebrated these achievements, she reminded attendees that rankings and awards tell only part of the story; the institution’s most meaningful legacy lies in the lives it has transformed over the years.

That focus on people echoed throughout the event. Dr. Edwards Mungai, the University’s Deputy Vice Chancellor, Partnerships and Development, reflected on the importance of alumni as the institution’s greatest measure of impact. “As a University, we know that the true impact of any academic institution is ultimately reflected in its graduates,” Dr. Mungai noted. “What happens during the educational process is transformation, but the real measure of success is how graduates go out into society and transform the world around them.”

Vice-Chancellor Dr. Vincent Ogutu brought warmth, humour, and reflection to the afternoon through stories from his own Strathmore journey. Recalling one memorable moment involving a legendary lecturer, now Dr Jim McFie shared how Jim had approached him with an urgent request regarding an SOA alumnus who was preparing for a job interview the following morning.
“He has everything the employer needs except computer literacy. I need you to make him computer literate overnight.” Dr. Ogutu spent the day giving him a crash course in Lotus 1-2-3, and by the next day, “he passed the interview,” he recalled, drawing laughter from the audience. Yet beneath the humour was a deeper lesson about what made SOA distinctive: a culture of mentorship, generosity, and community that extended beyond classrooms and long after graduation. That same spirit came alive in his reflections on the SOA-SI Alumni Legacy Fund, which he described not merely as a fundraising initiative but as an opportunity to turn gratitude into action and invest in future generations. “I can’t thank the people who invested in me. The closest I can get is not to pay them back, but to pay it forward,” he said. “Give the same generosity to others. It’s the only way to say thank you.” His words perfectly captured the spirit of the day’s theme: Personal Impact, Collective Legacy.

Mr. Nelson Muikia, an alumnus of the School of Accountancy and chair of the SOA-SI Alumni Chapter committee, reflected on how the idea of the SOA-SI Alumni Legacy Fund began after the SOA@50 celebrations. A small group asked themselves, “What more can we do?’ The group met virtually and decided to begin something meaningful, the SOA-SI Alumni Legacy Fund, with only five people believing that small beginnings still mattered.

The chapter initially organized fundraising activities with limited resources, but members soon realized that achieving long-term impact required a more sustainable approach. “We eventually realized something important: if all this depended only on a few individuals, what would happen if one day we were no longer available?” That question led to the decision to establish an endowment model to support future generations.

By the time we had the event, those efforts had already produced a major milestone. Guests celebrated the presentation of a cheque of just over KSh1 million, marking an important step toward building a sustainable support structure for future students.

Yet speakers repeatedly emphasized that the amount itself was not the point. “This modest contribution represents something far bigger than the amount itself,” the Chair reflected. “It represents a vision.” The impact of that vision was standing in the room.

Vincent Saidimu, a CPA student at SI and the beneficiary of the fund, shared how alumni generosity had changed the course of his life. Financial limitations had nearly prevented him from pursuing higher education, but support through the fund opened a path for him. “Being the first beneficiary of this fund has impacted my life in many ways. I am truly grateful for every coin each one of you contributes,” Vincent said.

For Angelica, Vincent represented exactly what the fund was designed to achieve. “When you contribute to this fund, you are not simply donating money. You are opening doors for students like Vincent,” she said. “The SOA-SI Alumni Legacy Fund is more than a scholarship initiative. It is a promise to future generations that their potential will never be limited by financial circumstances.”

The keynote address by Mr. Eric Kimani, MBS, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Palmhouse Foundation, broadened the conversation beyond fundraising to institution-building. Drawing from Palmhouse Foundation’s own journey, he challenged alumni to think beyond modest targets and embrace bold ambition. “You have a vision of raising one million shillings,” he recalled telling his trustees. “I have a vision of raising one hundred million shillings. Dream bigger.”

Throughout his remarks, he emphasized one principle repeatedly: “Giving is an honour. No one has ever become poorer by giving.” For him, philanthropy was not charity. “Giving is not loss, it is an investment in future generations,” he said.

As the event drew to a close, the soft launch of SOA@60 felt less like the beginning of a celebration and more like the continuation of a story already sixty years in the making. A story built by teachers, mentors, students, and alumni. A story of people who chose to invest in others and believed that small beginnings could create extraordinary outcomes.

After all, 60 years ago, it began with just five accountants.

And perhaps the words repeated throughout the day captured the spirit best: Do not despise small beginnings.

Article written by Nekesa Teresa