Police in Kajiado County are pursuing former Alliance High School principal David Kariuki, who currently heads Merishaw School, following allegations of involvement in KCSE examination malpractice.
Mr. Kariuki made headlines in 2017 when he resigned from Alliance High School after being accused of presiding over rampant bullying that left several students injured.
Back then Kariuki was under investigation by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), to which he tendered his resignation.
The commission accepted his request for early retirement, before he reached the official retirement age of 60.
During his tenure at Alliance, Kariuki was widely criticized for allegedly allowing prefects and senior students to engage in systemic bullying for years without taking decisive action to curb the abuse.
After leaving the teaching profession, Kariuki joined the County Government of Embu, where he served as the County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Trade and Tourism. He later rose to oversee the county’s administration, a role he held until 2022.
In 2023, Kariuki returned to the education realm where he became instrumental in establishing Merishaw School in Kajiado County.
Merishaw School made an extraordinary debut in the 2024 KCSE examinations, posting a mean grade of A- (10.5686). The school surpassed renowned institutions such as Alliance High, Kenya High, and Starehe Boys, emerging as the top-performing school nationally.
The success of the intuition based along Isinya-Namanga road has been credited to Kariuki’s leadership. During his time at Alliance, he led the school to a record mean grade of 11.4, with 202 out of 361 candidates scoring straight A’s; an unprecedented achievement in the institution’s history.
With a professional background in Biology, Kariuki began his teaching career over three decades ago. He rose through the ranks to become the principal of Meru School, where he was celebrated for his motivational leadership and strong connection with students and staff alike.
During his tenure , Meru School’s performance dramatically improved, with the mean grade rising from 6.0 to 9.1, positioning the institution among Kenya’s top performers in KCSE exams