Spotlight: Utheri Kanayo (NC 2005)
Newnham Associate Dr Utheri Kanayo has established a school with African culture and achievements at its heart, which inspired fellow Newnham alumna Alex West to pursue a career in education.
While working at the Education Department in Cambridge, after a PhD at Newnham, Utheri Kanayo (Susan Kiragu, NC 2005) undertook a project that changed the course of her life. She travelled around East Africa – including her home country, Kenya – and was staggered at the lack of resources in some schools, where children only had a teacher three days a week, and twice-weekly deliveries of water.
'Afterwards I started giving back by fundraising and even climbed Mount Kenya to raise money, as well as encouraging my faculty to donate. I started a scholarship and mentorship programme. I broke all research protocols by getting emotionally involved, but I wanted to do more,' Utheri said. Soon she and her husband Oku quit their jobs and moved to Kenya, where they grew the scholarship and mentorship programme, and eventually founded their own school, Freedom International Schools – Africa (FISA), in Nakuru.
At FISA, they prepare pupils to be global citizens with an education model that fuses their own culture and the International Baccalaureate (IB). This Afrocentric education puts Africa at the heart of learning, so alongside Maths, English and other subjects, they teach local mother-tongue languages and focus on Africa’s history and contributions to civilisation, the arts and sciences. Oku, an experienced software engineer, ensures pupils also have a strong focus on current technology.
'We bring in African and global content, not relying on a curriculum that is a colonial legacy. I would like my students to sit next to anyone and not feel inferior, to love their culture and be proud of Africa,' Utheri said.
'Africa may have many poor people but it also has lots of resources: coffee, oil, minerals. Our skin colour, the melatonin, means we don’t have to worry so much about the sun. I want people to love their skin colour and appreciate its qualities. Classes are named after African icons, from Patrice Lumumba to Madikizela Mandela. The Afrocentric approach infuses everything.'
Their progressive approach chimed with research by Newnham Philosophy graduate Alex West (NC 2022), pictured left at the school. As a Laidlaw scholar, she looked at whether prosocial behaviour, attitudes and aspirations can be fostered by sustained exposure to the portrayal of human nature as innately altruistic. Alex visited FISA in 2024, teaching photography and art, including lessons on artists inspired by African print motifs. She had fundraised among her friends in the UK, acquired cameras that she donated to the school and supported the school’s marketing campaign when they transitioned to the IB curriculum, designing adverts for social media, billboards and pamphlets.
‘I enjoyed being entrusted with so much and knew everything I was doing was contributing to the school. I’ve never felt more appreciated. The school was inspiring; you can see a difference immediately. They're teaching the children to really love where they're from and motivate them to put back into Kenya. My experience at Nakuru strengthened my passion for education. I had initially planned to become a teacher, but now I am looking into policy work in education,' Alex said.
Utheri has also joined the Newnham Associates, giving talks (including the one that inspired Alex) and mentoring. She said, 'Without Newnham, there would be no Freedom International Schools – Africa. It inspired me to be myself and believe in myself.' She aims to be a bridge between Newnham and Africa by supporting black or African students studying at Newnham, mentoring those interested in Africa and supporting cultural diversity.
Thank you to former Development Director Penny Hubbard (NC 1979) for suggesting this article. When Penny went to volunteer at the Saidia Orphanage in Gilgil, Kenya last year, she realised that FISA was nearby and Utheri arranged for a visit by some of her students and a teacher. The students took donations of food and Utheri offered an internship to one of the orphanage graduates. Penny said: ‘This is a great example of how the Newnham network stretches around the world.’
- This feature first appeared in the Roll Letter 2024-25, published January 2026.