Nairobi News

The late Madam Lizzie Muthoni Wanyoike, founder of Nairobi Institute of Business Studies (NIBS) Technical College, is being laid to rest today, Tuesday, January 23, 2024.

The birth of NIBS is a story that cannot to told within a day but in decades following her pursuit of education.

She defied her parents’ wishes to join Kagumo Teachers College in Nyeri, where they wanted her to pursue a teaching course.

According to the eulogy, the education enthusiast aimed to advance her studies in upper secondary school before entering college.

Also read: RIP! Lizzie Wanyoike to be laid to rest at ex-husband’s residence

After completing her Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), she chose to join Form 5 and 6.

“Her parents wanted her to enroll at Kagumo Teachers College in Nyeri, but she rejected the proposal. Instead, she expressed her desire to complete Form 5 and 6, and her parents agreed. She subsequently enrolled at Nakuru High,” states the eulogy read by Mr Allan Njenga, NIBS Administrator, and Business Development Manager, during her funeral ceremony.

After completing Form 6, Madam Lizzie was among the high-achieving students who joined Kenyatta College (now Kenyatta University – KU).

She pursued a Diploma in Teacher Education as well as a secretarial course.

The late mother of three was born at Gathuki-ini Village in Murang’a County on November 11, 1951.

Raised in a humble background, the visionary educator and entrepreneur was the sixth born in a family of ten siblings, with Peterson Kariuki as the father and Naomi Wanjiku as the mother.

For her primary studies, she attended Gathuki-ini Primary School and later joined Kahuhia Girls for secondary education.

“Coming from an ordinary family in the village, she helped her parents with farming and household chores. She was a resilient, hardworking, and obedient child,” stated Mr Njenga.

Also read: Lizzie Wanyoike’s last message inspiring before the curtains fell

In addition to founding NIBS College in 1999, she established Emory Hotel – a 4-star hotel in Nairobi in 2018, as well as Lizzie Wanyoike Preparatory Schools in 2021.

Initially, Nairobi Institute of Business Studies (NIBS) Technical College was known as Temple College.

The institution stands as one of the best hospitality colleges in Kenya, boasting over 7,000 students and graduating hundreds of thousands with various professional courses.

The matriarch was laid to rest at her late husband’s home, Josphat Mburu Wanyoike, in Gatanga, Murang’a County.