ABSTRACT
Education in Kenya, and in all human societies for that matter, has always been a catalyst for change and the dominant factor in the preservation of values and culture. In Kenya, as well as in other African nations, education has its roots in what western scholars consistently refer to as ‘informal or traditional education’ to distinguish it from ‘formal education’ that was imported into Africa by white missionaries and colonial administrations. In the traditional system, students learned how to live with their environment. Astute students moved through apprenticeship and initiation processes to the top of the social hierarchy to become members of the Council of Elders. All the time, students were schooled in the customs and traditions that made the society what it was. The age groups (warrior groups) were the custodians and defenders of the heritage of the people and the land. Hence, when the British invaded Kenya, the warrior groups of the Nandi, for example, fought gallantly for nearly seven years in defense of their territory before the British invading forces treacherously murdered their leader. Henceforward, the British colonial administration banned all such ancient organizations. The dismantling of the warrior groups was the first breach in the fortress of traditional Africa.
