Mang'u High School Gets Ksh11B Plane After Meeting With NMG Bosses
The school also issued a joint statement with a commercial bank in the country, which will cater for the cost of transporting the plane
Marvin Chege 
Mang'u High School will receive a Boeing aircraft from national carrier Kenya Airways (KQ) in a move aimed at bolstering its aviation curriculum offered to its students.
The school's Board of Management (BOM) chair Anthony Maina held a meeting with Nation Media Group (NMG) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Stephen Gitagama and Head of External Affairs Clifford Machoka at the NMG offices in Nairobi on Wednesday, January 18.
The meeting was for the purpose of discussing a possible partnership for the project, which will see one of the airline's aircraft, a Boeing 737-700 donated to the school.
Mang'u High School Alumni chair Anthony Maina with Nation Media Group CEO Stephen Gitagama and Head of External Affairs Clifford Machoka at NMG offices on January 18, 2023. /TWITTER.NATION MEDIA GROUP
"Mangu High School Alumni Chairman Anthony Maina, Vice Chair Ronald Meru and fundraising agency LEA Client Services met NMG CEO - Stephen Gitagama, and Head of External Affairs Clifford Machoka, to discuss a possible partnership for the KQ-MHS 737-700 plane handover project," read a tweet from NMG.
The school also issued a joint statement with a commercial bank in the country, which will cater for the cost of transporting the plane from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to the institution based in Kiambu County.
"Kenya Airways has donated an aircraft, Boeing 737-700 to the school, and the bank will facilitate its transfer from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to the Thika-based facility and support in kitting the aviation centre.
"The programme is expected to train a critical mass of future air traffic controllers, aircraft engineers, and pilots among others," part of the joint statement between Mang'u and the local bank read.
Maina on his part expressed his gratitude to the partners for their kind gesture, noting that the multi-million aircraft will be of huge importance to the students who are interested in aviation.
"We are incredibly grateful for the support we have received from the bank and other organisations. We believe that a strong aviation program is essential for preparing students for the future in this field," he said.
The Boeing 737-700 belongs to the 737 families of passenger narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing in the United States. It was launched in November 1993 with an order of 63 aircraft and seats 126 passengers in a two-class or 149 passengers in a one-class layout.
US-based Southwest Airlines, the largest low-cost carrier in the world, took delivery of the first 737-700 on December 1997 for use across domestic destinations and is known for its sharkfin-like wingtips. It is valued at Ksh11 billion ($89 million) as of 2019.
Kenya Airways phased out the 737-700 in exchange for a younger fleet for use in domestic and regional destinations. The aircraft is being offered to Mang'u High, a school offering training in technical skills such as propulsion, meteorology, and thermodynamics, in terms of aviation.
The institution does the training of aviation students at the Wilson Airport and Moi Air Base in Eastleigh, Nairobi County.
Mang'u is among the few high schools that offer aviation courses as part of their curriculum. It is also the first school in Kenya to introduce Aviation Technology as an examination subject.
The late Former President Mwai Kibaki interacts with aviation students of Mang’u High School during a tour. /BUSINESS DAILY
