#6.The Trinity:Man cannot be an Island

Granted, there are many things I never want to recall every time I go through my high school photo album. I hated wearing shorts all the time. No one loves high school food, and I’m not going to stand up and say that the food was spectacular…I had ill fitting clothes then, but no one thought too much about it. What mattered most in school was your thinking capacity. However, that doesn’t prevent me from cringing and dying inside every time I look at a picture of myself high school…

The one good thing that I took away with me from school was the value of teamwork.Unity. I’d been a lone wolf before the formation of the trinity, and this group changed my life. It still is, and the fond memories that we had together have inspired me to remember the group in the best way I know how: here. On my blog.

 The Trinity: Part of a larger group

The trinity consisted of only three members: Linus, Charles and yours truly. We were all library prefects in school, and together with the others below, effectively managed the school library, ensuring that the students of Starehe Boys Center and School could study and relax in a conducive environment.

From Left: Charles, Del, Sr.Caroline, Linus, Victor, Peter and John

 The three of us were seniors just about to graduate. K.C.S.E was just around the corner and we formed a study group to prepare for the exam. We never knew that the group would change our lives forever. 

The Trinity: Members

Linus: Chairman

Trinity Chairman

De facto chairman of the group. Coffee addict. The glue that held the group together. Always excited with pulling all nighters in the lib, sth we referred to as “transnighting”. He had an office with comfortable, padded chairs that could be joined together to form a bed. He rarely slept in his own bed! Even during the cold season! I can remember the nights we spent poring through old physics books. I have never been a fan of physics, and this was pure torture to me.Try solving a physics problem at three in the morning and tell me how you feel about it !!

However, his enthusiasm for the group drove us to work hard, and I got my highest marks ever (in an internal exam) in physics due to his constant motivational speeches. Studying alone might work for some people, but I soon found out that my grades only improved when I worked with the trinity. 

It’s been six or so months since we parted ways and left high school. We still keep in touch, and Linus has ventured into fashion with a gusto that leaves me feeling amazed at times. He certainly knows how to make a fashion statement!

Linus making a bold fashion statement

The one thing I really appreciate about him is the fact that he was able to set aside the strict, almost military style formalities that existed (and probably still exists) within the force. He was able to see that brotherhood and friendship is more important than the hierarchy of the school leadership body.
The freedom with which we could interact with him made the group a success.

Charles: The Brains of the group

From left: Ranft and Charles

It’s still a mystery. No one knows how he did it. The guy could recite paragraphs in our textbooks word for word. I know this coz I was there when he did it, not once but many times. Call him the Wikipedia of the group or sth similar. The Google of trinity. Hahaha…

I loved witnessing the mock battles (some were pretty intense) Linus and Charles used to have, whether over a fact in a book, or about leadership styles. There was a time he took over and effectively carried out a successful coup over Linus’ leadership of the trinity and made himself chairman. Lasted for a day, but it was a FUNNY day!

Victor: black sheep of the family

It’s not easy to write an unbiased review of myself. Suffice it to say that I was the black sheep of the group, and the official mediator in the likely event of conflict between the other two stakeholders. 

Chief Mediator of The Trinity

The group helped all of us prepare for that crucial exam.Looking back, I can confidently state that without the help that the Trinity gave all of us, none of us would be looking forward to university this year. I doubt if we would have made it. 


This has made me fully believe that no man can be an island. We all need each other, whether we like it or not. Group work, unity and brotherhood are very important if we are to succeed in life. 
If you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together. 

The Trinity is not dead. We still have plans for future exploits. We’ll form the “Trion group of companies”, a behemoth of firms and industries that will overshadow the big multinationals that we constantly read about in newspapers and see on television!!

The top three offices in this future corporation have not yet been decided. We’re still arguing over who should have what office and stuff like that!! Sometimes I’m tempted to think of it as a pipe dream, but when I look back and see what we accomplished in school, I get the feeling that anything in this world is achievable, just as long as you’re ready to pay the price for it.

In the words of Dr. Griffin, “Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true.”  

Note: If you’d like to know more about our school, feel free to do so here.