| St. Mary’s School Yala | |
| Motto: | Shine in everything everywhere |
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| Location: | Yala Township, Nyanza Province |
| Country: | Kenya |
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| Type: | Public |
| Religious Affiliation: | Roman Catholicism |
| Founder: | Mill Hill missionaries |
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| Principal: | Victor Makanda |
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| Staff: | 40 |
| Grades: | K-12 |
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| Gender: | Boys |
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| Colours: | Black and white |
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| System: | 8-4-4 Curriculum |
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St. Mary’s School Yala is a Roman Catholic primary and secondary school for boys located on the Kisumu-Busia highway in Yala Township in the Nyanza Province of Western Kenya.
Founded in 1927 by the Mill Hill missionaries notably Msgr. Brandsma who wanted to start a teacher's college for catholic schools, the school opened its doors in 1927 making it one of the oldest schools in Kenya.[1]
The school eventually evolved to become a full primary school and junior secondary school that expanded to become the current St. Mary’s Yala. Approximately 2000 students attend the school each year and has a teaching staff of 40. The school follows the Kenyan 8-4-4 education system.
St. Mary's School Yala was a by-product of increased missionary activity by the Mill Hill Missionaries in Kenya in the early 1900s when Monsignor Brandsma (1874-1935) and a group of Mill Hill missionaries from the Netherlands whose vision to expand catholic education and counter Anglican and other Protestant missions already developed in Kenya. Brandsma succeeded in obtaining land from the then local Chief Odera Okang'o. Initially intended to be a teacher training institution, the school opened its doors to its first batch of students in 1927 and was upgraded to "A" level in 1957.
The school offers various sporting disciplines, which include rugby, athletics, soccer, basketball, handball, indoor games, volleyball, badminton and field hockey. The rugby team won the national secondary school rugby championship in 2003 and came in Third Place in 2017 and was able to proceed to Uganda for the EA championship. [2] The school is also a strong performer in drama and music with consistent top placement of its drama and music club compositions in festivals, students feted for the best stand-up comedy in the 2015 edition of the competition.[3] [4] The school also hosts the annual Yala 15s rugby tournament, a competition that attracts top rugby schools in western and Nyanza. St. Mary's Yala won in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2017.
The following are the school's past principals;
| Mr. Agoya | 1970 | 1978 | |
| Mr. J.B. Juma | 1978 | 1981 | |
| Mr. N. Arega | 1981 | 1983 | |
| Mr. P. Odwuor | 1983 | 1985 | |
| Mr. Joseph Owuor | 1985 | 1987 | |
| Mr. John Were | 1987 | 1996 | |
| Mr. Marcellous K'Ojwang' | 1996 | 2005 | |
| Mr. John Awiti | 2005 | 2016 | |
| Mr. Bonaventure O. Ollando | 2016 | 2022 |
The school undertook many new projects and renovations during Awiti’s reign. New pavements connecting classes, labs and dormitories were laid. Landscaping around the assembly area was done as well as the purchase of a new school bus, setting up departmental offices, the water project, a sick bay for the students and a laboratory named Yoba House, renovation of all the dormitories and renovation of staff houses. Current on-going projects include construction of a new dormitory with a capacity of 900 students. The school has been upgraded to six streams with over 880 students.
There are a total of 16 dormitories named after founders and prominent alumni of the school.
St. Mary's Yala boasts prominent alumni including former ministers Tom Mboya, Mukhisa Khituyi, Peter Oloo Aringo and former Governor John Krop Lonyangapuo