History of Pembroke

Established in 1927 and named after the Cambridge College attended by its founding Headmaster, Harold Turner, Pembroke House followed the traditional English prep school model right from the outset. We remain true to this ethos today, with its distinctive emphasis on the whole-child.

Turner purchased the original building that now lies at the heart of our School Campus, together with 100 acres, from Captain Alan Gibson, following Gibson’s failure to farm flax there. Since then, the School and its surrounding area have undergone huge change.

In the 1950s, the school chapel, known as the Christina Chapel, was built, its size determined by all the pupils at the time sitting in the proposed space before it was measured. Later that decade, in 1959, the ownership of Pembroke House was re-structured to formally reflect its charitable function, in common with UK independent schools. The Kenya Educational Trust was set up to ensure that all income derived from fees, donations or fundraising are devoted to the School in perpetuity. This means that unlike other schools in Kenya, Pembroke is not run as a business but as a charitable entity devoted entirely to the education, welfare and wellbeing of its pupils. Without shareholders, any profit derived from its activities can only ever be used to fulfil its founding principles.

In 1988, Pembroke House become co-ed, helping it develop into the vibrant community of learners it is today. The reputation for sporting prowess the school currently enjoys was only made possible with the improvement of roads, which enabled us to increase the number of sporting fixtures.

Additions and improvements to buildings have continued in recent decades, including the development of a dedicated Science Laboratory, a STEAM centre, Music School, Theatre and Café, thanks in no small part to tremendous fundraising by the school, its parents and alumnae. The recent development of the Pre-Prep has proved particularly successful among local parents facilitating the integration of younger pupils into the school and resulting in improvements to EYFS learning.

While the school continues to evolve and develop in an ever-changing world, we are confident that one thing will never change: the School’s motto. ‘Fortuna Favet Fortibus’ means ‘Fortune Favours the Brave’. Courage remains central to our school values. Being brave enough to make decisions and lead others, is one of the attributes that make OPs stand out from the crowd.

Another aspect of our history that remains as relevant today as when it was adopted nearly one hundred years ago is our school emblem, the Martlet bird. A mythical legless creature, the Martlet’s inability to land is considered symbolic of the constant quest for knowledge. Curiosity, the dynamo within a love of learning, is also one of our cherished school values.