A year ago, Debra Waithira had no idea music was in her blood when she first experienced Kisau Girls High School band’s rendition of the benga masterpiece ‘Stella’ by Orchestra Muema Brothers on social media.
She recalls being thrilled and spending months dreaming of joining the national school in Makueni County, at least to enjoy the music. Her dream came true in January and she has since become key to the school’s plan to sustain the band which has, once again, taken the internet by storm.
Waithira is a prominent member of the school band. The Grade 10 student is among two students who play the bass guitar.
“It is surreal,” she described her experience in the band during a recent interview.
It took her two weeks to learn to play the bass guitar under the tutelage of Elnathan Masau, a business studies and mathematics teacher who leads the band alongside Moses Thoya, a colleague and music enthusiast who teaches French.
“I see myself as an oncologist who will also be a music trainer. Alternatively, I see myself as an oncologist who will play music to generate authentic content for online audiences,” she said.
The school asserted its stardom during the Kenya National School Music Festival in the Zilizopendwa category with their rendition of ‘Samba’ by Orchestra Super Mazembe. The presentation stole the show during the Mbooni sub-county festival at Mukimwani Secondary School.
The victory marked a year since the school band broke the internet with its rendition of ‘Stella’. The item saw the band rise to the regionals level at the festivals. Its rendition of Samba has already become an internet sensation.
Whether performing ‘Stella’ or ‘Samba’, the band’s unique blend of rhythm, passion and musical excellence excites millions of fans who keep cheering the girls online.
A graceful troupe of dancers accentuates the band’s stage presence, enabling the girls to skillfully bring the golden oldies to life during daily rehearsal sessions at the school, which turn into mini concerts.
Annastacia Mutheu plays a drum set as Peace Mutua plays a ring during a prize giving day at Kisau Girls High School in Makueni County on June 6, 2026. They are part of the school band which has taken the internet by storm.
Photo credit: Pius Maundu | Nation Media Group
The band’s ardent fans include Mbooni MP Erastus Kivasu. He has called on other schools to emulate Kisau Girls in creating an enabling environment for students to discover, nurture and develop their talents.
“Some students can excel in academics. Others can excel in art, music and sports. We should encourage students to discover and develop their talents to unlock their potential,” he said when he graced a prize giving ceremony at the school.
Kisau Girls bets on the competency-based education to sustain the school band and take it to new levels. It has introduced music and dance as teachable subjects and is focused on encouraging Grade 10 students to enrol in the band.
“Grade 10 students are more interested in it than their older sisters,” said school principal Florence Kimeu.
Multiple interviews with teachers show the band is one of the school’s way of redirecting the energy of the students to meaningful use at a time when schools are battling waves of student unrest.
“We chose ‘Samba’ because it fosters forgiveness, which is a virtue,” Mr Thoya said while exuding confidence in the promise of the performance in the Kenya Music Festivals.
Mr Thoya’s confidence is shared by students and other fans who feel that the school band has come of age.
Abigael Mumo, a Form Four student who plays the solo guitar, which serves at the melodic centrepiece of the band’s performances, has seen the band grow from obscurity.
Although she started playing the lead guitar while in Form One, her confidence bloomed much later after her parents embraced her talent. That notwithstanding, she was not prepared for the stardom that came with her leading role in ‘Stella’.
“We have mastered the art of striking a balance between studies and music,” she said.
Underneath the success, the budding musicians have endured self-doubt and discouragement. Take the case of Abigael. It took her parents months of reassurance by teachers and her elder sister, Sarah Mutheu, to embrace their daughter’s passion in music. They did not initially approve of her being part of the band.
“We felt it was going to compromise her grades. This changed over the years after teachers intervened,” said Abigael’s mother, Mary Mutisya.
Unlike many of the band members, Waithira has enjoyed the support of her parents from the onset.
“We were as shocked as we were excited to see Waithira play the guitar skillfully. She is the first musician in our extended family,” her father, James Gichuhi, said
Apart from placing Kisau Girls High School on the national map and making the school community proud, the school band has given some of its members opportunities in the wider society. Purity Mutuku, for example, plays the piano for the band and at AIC Katithi in Machakos County.
Annastacia Moi, a Form Three student who plays drums for the band, said music has become her way of unwinding.
“Music is therapeutic. Every time I am playing the drum set, I feel relieved. It makes me happy,” she said.
