The late Abigail Kageha Indire during her earlier life, she died in April 30, 2025 and was buried at Vigina Area in Vihiga.
[Brian Kisanji, Standard]
In 1948, as Kenya labored under the weight of colonial rule, a quiet revolution was unfolding in a school compound in Kikuyu.
Ten girls, young, brilliant, and full of promise, were enrolled at the newly founded African Girls High School, later to be known as Alliance Girls.
It was the first time African girls were admitted to a formal secondary education institution. Among these 10, one name stood out, not just because of the records, but because of the life she would go on to live.
She was Abigail Kageha Indire, admission number 001.
Abigail was enrolled in the same year the school was founded by the Alliance of Protestant Missions in Kenya to serve African girls.
Recently, on April 30, Kenya bade farewell to their trailblazing daughter.
Abigail passed away peacefully at Avenue Hospital in Kisumu at the age of 94, bringing to a close a remarkable chapter in Kenya’s education and social history.
Abigail’s death didn't hinder her history from being shared.
Her funeral, held in her native Vigina area, Kidundu Sub-location in Vihiga County, was more than a ceremony of mourning. It was a celebration of a life that set the standard for generations of women.
Born on April 3, 1931, to Stefano and Selina Musalia in Kigama Village, Abigail’s journey was not marked by privilege but by unwavering determination.
She began her education at Kigama Primary School in 1939 and went on to Kaimosi Girls Boarding School in 1944.
In 1948, her outstanding academic performance earned her a place among the first ten girls at African Girls High School.
When she was handed Admission Number 001, no one could have guessed the magnitude of what that number would come to represent.
During her burial on Friday, the Alliance Girls High School (AGHS) Alumni group paid a glowing tribute to their trailblazer, including stories of how she motivated them to scale heights in academic life. By Brian Kisanji, The Standard
