Light International School

In Brief

Light International is a Cambridge school in Karen, kindergarten through A-Level, day and boarding from Year 9. Part of the Light Group, which has roots in the Turkish Hizmet/Gulen movement and runs several campuses across Kenya. CIS accredited (2024) and COBIS accredited (2025).

What people actually say

Parents who like it really like it. Warm staff, happy kids, strong extracurriculars (robotics, MUN, swimming, World Scholar's Cup). One parent put it simply: "the foundation they are laying for our kids is great." Another said her daughter is "SUPER HAPPY to be in a better environment than her last school." Fees sit below the very top-tier international schools, which is part of the appeal.

What you should know before you sign

Two things keep coming up around the dinner table.

First, the 2024 Cambridge results episode. CAIE withheld and then cancelled IGCSE, AS and A-Level results for the entire school. The school appealed (lawyers in Kenya and the UK), covered retake costs, and ran a revision programme. Cambridge has not publicly stated the reason. Worth asking the head directly what changed in exam administration since.

Second, governance and staffing. There is long-running local commentary that senior leadership and class-teacher roles skew heavily toward Turkish staff, with Kenyan staff in supporting positions. A 2022 Employment and Labour Relations Court judgment (Mutie v Light International School) found against the school over the dismissal of a Kenyan teacher. According to one former staffer, complaints to management "often fall on deaf ears." Some parents say teaching quality from non-native English speakers is uneven; others have no issue at all.

Bottom line for your friend

If your child is already settled at a Light campus elsewhere, continuity is real and the community is genuine. If you're choosing fresh, visit, sit in on a lesson, ask pointed questions about exam integrity since 2024, and meet the actual class teachers your child would have. Then compare against Braeburn Garden Estate, Hillcrest, Brookhouse and Banda for fit and price. Light is doing a lot right, but this one needs eyes-open due diligence rather than a brochure tour.