A Century of Connection, Conversation and Contribution

On 27 March 1926, the Oxford and Cambridge Society of Kenya was founded. One hundred years later, we mark this centenary with pride, gratitude and a renewed sense of purpose.

To reach a hundred years is no small thing. Across the past century, Kenya and the wider world have lived through profound change, hardship, reinvention and hope. Generations have witnessed colonial rule and independence, war and reconciliation, economic uncertainty and renewal, technological transformation and new forms of connection across borders and continents. Through these shifting times, the story of the Oxford and Cambridge Society of Kenya has remained part of a larger story: one of intellectual community, service, friendship and a belief that ideas matter in public life.

This centenary is therefore not only a moment to celebrate longevity. It is also a moment to honour those who carried the Society through different eras and ensured that its spirit endured. We pay tribute to previous generations of Oxbridgians in Kenya and connected to Kenya, to members of OCSK across the decades, and to all those who gave their time, energy and goodwill to sustain this community. We are especially grateful to the volunteers whose commitment helped revive the Society after years of dormancy, and to the supporters and friends whose encouragement and trust have helped bring us to this point.

We began this centenary year with important practical work still to be done. A key priority was to regularise the Society fully and align its operations with all legal requirements. I am delighted that we have now achieved that. This matters not only as a matter of compliance, but because it gives OCSK a sound foundation for its second century. It allows us to look ahead with confidence, ready to welcome new engagements, new ideas and new partnerships.

Our ambition is clear. We want the Oxford and Cambridge Society of Kenya to become an important pillar in Kenya’s public discourse: a thoughtful, independent and constructive space where knowledge, debate and civic engagement can meet. We also want to strengthen the Society’s role as a home for our members in the diaspora, ensuring that their ideas, expertise and commitment remain connected to Kenya and to one another.

In the years ahead, we hope to build a vibrant programme of activity that reflects the best of the Oxbridge tradition while responding to the needs of our time. This includes organising two Oxbridge-style debates each year, establishing an annual lecture followed by the Chair’s Dinner at the end of the year, and supporting new Oxbridge students from Kenya through a mentorship programme. We also look forward to creating further opportunities for exchange across generations, professions and geographies, so that OCSK can serve not only as an alumni society, but as a living network of thought, responsibility and friendship.

Partnerships will be central to that vision. We look forward to working closely with both Universities, with the British High Commission in Kenya, and with Kenyan and international partners who share our interest in supporting serious public engagement, educational opportunity and innovative approaches to knowledge management and exchange in Kenya. We believe there is real space for OCSK to contribute meaningfully to the life of our country, and to do so in a way that is intellectually serious, outward-looking and practically relevant.

The highlight of this centenary year will be the May Ball on 30 May at the Trademark Hotel in Nairobi. We are greatly looking forward to welcoming colleagues from all walks of life, together with our supporters, partners, friends and family, for what we hope will be a memorable celebration of our first hundred years and an inspiring beginning to the next hundred.

Anniversaries invite reflection, but they should also invite imagination. The value of a society such as ours does not lie only in its history, distinguished though that history may be. Its value lies in what it can continue to become: a place of rigorous thought, generous exchange and meaningful contribution in Kenya and beyond. No serious engagement is ever entirely free of challenge, but we believe that OCSK’s next century can be marked by positive purpose, intellectual vitality and lasting service. It is an exciting thought to consider what our Society might look like in 2126, and it is with optimism that we begin that journey.

Marko Tomicic
Honorary Chair
Oxford and Cambridge Society of Kenya