Born in Galway, Ireland, in 1934 and educated at the Patrician Brothers’ School and St Joseph’s College, Kevin O’Byrne graduated from University College Galway with a First Class Honours Degree in Civil Engineering, he worked with the ESB and with British Reinforced Concrete, before leaving for Nairobi in 1958 where he would spend the rest of his life until his passing in 2008.
In 1958 racial tensions were running high in Kenya, but Kevin arrived in Kenya with a mission to help establish what was to become Strathmore College, the first multi-racial college in East Africa. The buildings of the college are still the same ones where we are today at Strathmore School.
Kevin O’Byrne was an outstanding all-around sportsman who excelled in rugby, football, golf and tennis. He represented Kenya and East Africa as scrum-half from 1960-65.
As a multifaceted individual, Kevin contributed to the engineering aspects of the school buildings, taught mathematics when the school started in 1961, served as the first Deputy Principal of the school, helped find teachers for the school from his rugby circles and coached the first multiracial rugby team in Kenya, the Strathmore College Team, which was a formidable force in rugby. Kevin’s ability in bring people together to create a winning synergy was evident in the people he would select to setup formidable teams in: the teaching staff of the school, the school rugby teams he formed and the players from the school team who he conivnced to join the club teams he was playing for. Kevin played Scrum Half for Kenya Harlequins, Kenyan National Team and East Africa. After his playing days he transitioned to refereeing and became the Chairman of the Kenya Rugby Referees Society; a top-notch rugby referee; known for his excellent game management skills on the field.
The layout of our sports fields are thanks to his efforts and they they remain unchanged since he laid them out. Kevin introduced rugby to our school and became our first coach and has been an inspiration to many generations of teachers, students and sportsmen in our school. As a coach Kevin was a no-nonsense leader who demanded the best from his players.
To celebrate Kevin’s remarkable life and achievements, on 20th July 2024, we hosted The 2024 O’Byrne Under 16 memorial 10-a-side boys Rugby tournament which had 5 teams: Sunshine Secondary School, Lenana School A, Lenana School B, Strathmore School A and Strathmore School B. All the teams were able to test each other’s strengths in a round-robin set of matches. After all the points and scores were collated at the end of the tournament, Strathmore School A were winners and Lenana School A took 2nd place. What an electrifying Saturday! We look forward to making this tournament an annual event in our school’s sporting calendar.
We also continue to pray for the eternal repose of Kevin’s soul and celebrate the lasting impact he had on our school and community.
