MKSC Owner Turned Hero in Tanzania as His CSR Makes Bashay School Rise Atop

THURSDAY November 20, 2025

By Adam Ihucha

The Tranquility news correspondent, Tanzania

His name may never appear in the Guinness World Records, but in a quiet corner of northern Tanzania, hundreds of poor pupils consider French tourism investor Denis Laboutex a hero whose impact reaches far beyond tourism dollars.

For 16 years, Laboutex — owner of the Mount Kilimanjaro Safari Club (MKSC) and Bashay Lodge in Karatu District — has been quietly funding classrooms, modernising aging school blocks, hiring volunteer teachers, and providing food for pupils at Bashay Primary School.

He has done it without fanfare, often anonymously, and always with what locals describe as a “down-to-earth generosity.”

This year, his long, silent investment bore extraordinary fruit: Bashay Primary emerged second out of more than 500 public schools in Tanzania’s Arusha Region in the 2025 Standard Seven national examinations.

A Village Celebrates Its Unsung Benefactor
In a rare gesture for the small farming community, residents of Bashay organised a brief celebration to honour both the school’s success and the man they credit for making it possible.

“What MKSC has been doing was supposed to be done by the government, but it chose to complement government’s efforts — and now we are all witnessing the success,” Karatu District Education Officer Musa Kavumo.

 

Reading a statement on behalf of teachers, parents and pupils, headteacher Malley Elipheus said the school’s rise from a struggling rural institution to a regional academic powerhouse was inseparable from Laboutex’s support.

“For seven years Bashay has been leading in Karatu District. This wouldn’t be possible without Mr Denis’s generous support,” Elipheus said.

Over the years, Laboutex has been financing the construction of modern classrooms, brought water and electricity to the school, funded meals for pupils, and retained dozens of volunteer teachers from within and outside the district.

MKSC also has been encouraging teachers to provide pupils with extra lessons — a programme widely credited for sharpening their performance.

Building More Than Classrooms
Beyond academics, MKSC planted fruit trees around the campus, creating a green belt that provides nutrition and beautifies the school grounds. Parents say the trees have become both a symbol of growth and a source of pride.

Area Education Officer Musa Kavumo praised MKSC’s model of corporate social responsibility, calling it a powerful example of how private investment can reinforce public education.

“What MKSC has been doing was supposed to be done by the government,” Kavumo admitted. “But it chose to complement government’s efforts — and now we are all witnessing the success.”

According to official results, all 300 Standard Seven pupils at Bashay Primary passed their 2025 examinations with an average ‘A’ grade, ranking first in Karatu District and second in the entire Arusha Region.

“My Heart Is in This School”
Speaking after the celebration, Laboutex said he was deeply moved by the results and by the community’s appreciation.

“My heart is in this school. It’s so close to me, and I want it to become a role model for others,” he said.

For now, the children of Bashay need no record book to confirm the impact of his work.

Their improved classrooms, meals, teachers — and newfound confidence — tell a story of a man who quietly transformed a village school into one of the region’s finestΩ