Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:16-17, NIV)

Two days after the start of our new academic year, a government's gazette notice regarding three public holidays meant disruption to the beginning of instruction at our schools. The first public holiday, on Friday 29th April, was given to the nation to allow them to mourn and attend the memorial service of the third president of the Kenyan Republic. The Late Mwai Kibaki, who was president from 2002-2013, passed away on the 21st of April 2022 at the age of 90. The President's memorial service, which was open to the public, was held at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi. May 1 was Labour Day in Kenya, and as per Kenyan custom, when a holiday falls on a Sunday, it is automatically celebrated on the following Monday. The month of Ramadan, which is a special month of fasting for Muslims, came to an end on the 2nd of May, which was already set aside for Labor Day celebrations, so Tuesday May 3rd was declared a public holiday to celebrate Eid al-Fitr (“the festival of breaking the fast”). This is a special holiday in Kenya which has a population of over 6 million Muslims.

Losing three days to national holidays at the beginning of an academic year may not seem like much, but when the academic year has already been condensed to six months of instruction, and the nation's education system is undergoing a major overhaul, every little change matters. During this academic year we are registering three different sets of examination candidates for the first time. Our Grade 6 students will be sitting for the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) that will happen in October. Our Grade 8’s will be sitting for KCPE exams after the KPSEA exams in November. Hereafter Grade 6 will be replacing Class 8 as the transition point to secondary school in 2023. Finally we will have the high school KCSE exams in December 2022. In total, there will be 5 national examinations that will take place in 2022. Our teachers and administrators all worked hard to register our learners for the national examinations. Now begins the hard work of educating our learners and shepherding their hearts over the next 6 months, while making every effort possible to ensure that they are well prepared for the national testing. We pray for perseverance, peace and trust in God through the next busy months.