Geoffrey William Griffin

Dr. Geoffrey William Griffin OBE (15 June 1933 in Eldoret – 28 June 2005) was the founding director of Starehe Boys' Centre and School in Kenya. He founded the school in November, 1959 with the help of the late Geoffrey Geturo and Joseph Gikubu, MBS, HSC, Founder Director of the centre. Williams directed the school from its founding to until his death. He was also the founding director of the National Youth Service between 1964 and 1988, before he retired from the Kenyan Civil Service.

In addition to their duties at Starehe Centre, Griffin and Geturo were appointed (and re-appointed) members of Kenya's Central Probation Commission. The Commission was a group appointed by Daniel arap Moi, the second President of Kenya, who at the time of the 1974 Commission was acting in his capacity as Vice-President and Minister for Home Affairs, a ministry responsible for all non-foreign affairs of the country.

By virtue of education at The Prince of Wales School, Nairobi, Kenya between 1945-1950 -- a boys' high school which later changed its name to Nairobi School -- Griffin is a member of the Old Cambrian Society, an alumni and staff association. He was a student member of Grigg House while at the school.

After leaving school "early" (meaning he completed the first four years of high school, but did not complete the additional two years of advanced high school required for admission to university in Kenya), he first joined the Survey of Kenya, and then the King's African Rifles (KAR). After serving during the Emergency, and tired of the brutality of war, he became convinced of the justice of the Mau Mau cause. He did not review his commission, and began to participate in attempts to rehabilitate former fighters held or recently released from detention camps. After some years, his attention turned to children orphaned by the war, and he started a rescue centre, out of which grew Starehe.

Griffin rose to become an educational leader and was awarded an honorary Ph.D. in Education by Kenyatta University for developing Starehe Boys' Centre and School into becoming one of the premier schools -- not only in Kenya but also in Africa and other parts of the world where Starehe has renown as a centre of educational excellence.

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