St Marys Mumias Girls’ Principal sets school abuzz with lovely, unforgettable gesture

In a world where titles and roles often separate leaders from the led, one school in Kakamega County has rewritten the narrative on what it means to be a principal.

St. Mary’s Mumias Girls’ High School is abuzz, not with exam results or strict assembly instructions, but with the memory of an unexpected act of love by their Senior Principal Ms Monicah Buchichi.

It was Culture Day—a day of vibrant colours, drumming feet, and traditional attire—when a sight no one expected caught the students’ attention.

Among the girls, who were busy preparing their presentations, stood a familiar figure. No, it wasn’t one of their peers holding that pink umbrella and in full school uniform cat-walking infront of them. It was none other than the Senior Principal herself.

“Is that the Principal?” they should have been puzzled as they whispered to one another after realising who that ‘beautiful girl’ was.

Indeed, it was the Senior Principal, standing tall yet humble, mingling with the students as if she were one of them. But this was no accident, no spur-of-the-moment decision to stand among the girls. It was a heartfelt gesture that revealed a principal’s deep connection to her students.

As the drizzle turned into a light shower, she moved gracefully between the rows of excited students. The girls giggled, their principal was not someone distant today; she was a friend, a sister, and most importantly, a figure of trust.

The Principal’s close friend, Sam Vidambu, was all smiles and happy as he posted a photo of her on his Facebook page

“This is not a form one girl holding an umbrella during culture day. It is the Senior Principal of St Mary’s Girls Mumias in Kakamega County. She’s my good friend. I always tell Principals that once in a while it’s good to do something that brings you closer to your students e.g wearing their uniform even if its once in a term to surprise them or also eating with them in the dining hall even if its once in a year. In high school, it’s the little things that matter. Students will forget all the things you said in the assembly, but they will never forget how you made them feel.”

Donning a warm smile and an open heart, she embraced the occasion not as a figure of authority, but as someone who understood the little joys and stresses of school life. Her presence was felt not in the speeches given at the assembly but in the subtle, meaningful ways she showed up for her girls.

The surprise appearance, complete with an umbrella and a knowing smile, was the talk of the school. The students would eventually forget the words spoken at countless assemblies, but this? They would remember. In high school, it’s not always the grand gestures or the iron-fisted rules that leave an impression; it’s the small, seemingly insignificant moments that linger in the memory.

It’s true: students may forget the regulations set in stone, the assembly announcements, and the reminders about discipline. But they will never forget how their principal or teachers made them feel. And in this case, one umbrella, on one rainy Culture Day, created a memory they’ll carry long after they leave the gates of St. Mary’s Girls Mumias.