27/03/2019
CHAIRMAN’S SPEECH AT THE 2ND BISHOP ALEXANDER MUGE DAY COMMEMORATION ON
MARCH 16, 2019
The Guest of Honor, Our Guest Speaker, all other distinguished guests (and all protocols observed), the Board of Management of Bishop Alexander Muge Girls School, The Principal, the teaching and non-teaching staff, Parents, and students,
Good afternoon!
First, allow me to introduce the members of the just lapsed Board of Management that I have worked with for the past three years. [Members of the Board please come forward].
This has been a dedicated and committed team and as a New Board is constituted later this term, I hope to continue working with this awesome team again! You may be seated.
Today, we are gathered here to celebrate a man who left a lasting legacy. The late Bishop Alexander Kipsang Muge, is a person I would describe as a Legacy-Minded Shepherd – the one the Bible describes as the Good Shepherd!
A legacy, in my view, is simply that significance, mostly intangible that a person leaves behind, once they exit the earth. The significance of your life is your legacy! Bishop Alexander Muge was a legacy-minded shepherd because he was willing to pay the price to fix a broken culture. Today, we as the school fraternity are here to celebrate that legacy.
Why Bishop Alexander Muge Day? The idea to celebrate this Day was mooted by Mrs Imelda Wafula, our former principal. She often mentioned this to me and in 2017 I told her, Why Not? I bought into the idea and in 2017 (term 2) we discussed it in our Board Meeting and resolved to celebrate the Day Annually and incorporate it as a school culture. The BOM constituted a committee – Bishop Muge Day Committee – to spearhead the planning of Bishop Muge Day. The committee members were:
• The Principal
• Mr. Mariga Moses
• Mr. Omutiti Joel
• Chairman
We held our first meeting on 12th October 2017 and invited Rev. Ekwenyi to join us – we later co-opted other members. Our aim was to brainstorm on a date and activities for the day and we agreed on two major things:-
i. Hold the day in March, which was the late Bishop’s birthday month; and
ii. Start a project (i.e. Bishop Alexander Muge Memorial Library) that would befittingly honor the late iconic Bishop.
This gave us impetus to plan for our maiden Bishop Muge Day in March 2018. Prior to the commemoration, we held a series of planning meetings and most importantly, gave our own seed money that enabled us to do the following:
i. Pay for the architectural drawings for the resource centre;
ii. Plan for a fundraising – held on 24th February 2018; and
iii. Print T-shirts and make wrist bands to raise money.
To date (March 2019), from our mustard seed initiatives for the Bishop Alexander Muge Memorial Library project (we will rename it to Bishop Alexander Resource Centre), we have raised roughly Kshs Three Million, from our own contributions and school fund supported by parents and students.
Our plan going forward is to complete the building by end of 2021 in the following phases:
End of 2019 – complete the Ground floor;
End of 2020 – Complete the first floor; and
End of 2021 – Complete the second floor.
March 2022 – Officially open Resource Centre during the Bishop Muge Day event of March 2022,
This is bold and ambitious agenda that requires faith. Yet the Bible challenges us that faith without work is dead! So, we have decided to work – for the glory and honor of God.
I am encouraged from Habakkuk 2:2, that states: “write the vision and make it plain so that the herald may run with it.”
It is my desire that God will use me and you to “transform this school into a school of choice and excellence in the county and the country.” I desire that we can have schools in Trans Nzoia county to reach the caliber of the famous national schools – this in my view to doable!
As I end, friends, I invite you to join us today in befittingly honoring and celebrating the late Bishop Muge’s legacy by supporting us in this fundraising towards this project.
My prayer is that God will richly bless the work of your hands!
Thank you
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We thank our chairman, Mr. Obando Ekesa for such a motivating speech! indeed, we believe with God's help, we will have the Bishop Alexander Muge Resource Centre completed!
