The late Archbishop Thomas Brosnahan who came to Sierra Leone in 1953 founded Christ the King College (CKC) in Bo to provide quality secondary school education for young Catholic boys in the Protectorate. The Catholic Nuns of the Missionary Sisters of the Holy Rosary also played a very important role in the founding of the school.

On the 7th of September 1953 the College of Christ the King College started at temporary quarters in St. Francis Primary School compound in BO. Father Michael Corbett was appointed the first Principal of the school.

On January 18th, 1954, the Department of Education conveyed approval as: “a College Grammar School” and in January 1954 the school started with two streams: Form IA and Form 1B. In 1953 a total of 169 boys throughout the country sat the Common Entrance Exam (Selective Entrance Exam and now NPSE) for CKC. Only 73 made it (about 43%). In January 1954 the school had 73 students (Form IA -37 and Form 1B -36).

On the 16th of May 1954 work began for the construction of the first building at the current location. The Colonial Development Fund provided 20,000 Pounds Sterling and 108 Pounds Sterling from donors. The most notable donor was Paramount Chief Foday-Kai of Tellu Bongor Chiefdom. Father McDonald designed and supervised the construction, and he was assisted by Father Peter Casey. The St. Francis compound was used until the 28th of August 1955, when the school moved to its current location.
The ground floor of the first building was used for classrooms, while upstairs were used as bedrooms and living quarters for the Principal Father Corbett and his Assistant; Father Norman Fitzerald.

The Foundation stone for the Science and Administration block (the second building) was laid on the 30th of October 1955 by Paramount Chief Foday-Kai. The Foundation stone for the Assembly Hall (the third building) was laid in January 1958.
In 1958, there were 250 students at CKC. 8 students took the West African School Certificate Exam (GCE ‘O’ Level) for the first time. There were 2 passes with Division 11, and 3 passes with Division Ill. This was a very remarkable success for a new school.

During the feast of Christ the King in 1959, Archbishop Brosnahan blessed all the school buildings.

In 1963/64 Sixth Form courses started in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Botany and Zoology. In 1973/74 Sixth Form courses in the Arts were introduced, and for the first-time girls were admitted to CKC.

The Boarding Home opened on the 21st of January 1957 (students initially stayed at CTC before later moving to the CKC premises). In 1987 it was closed and reopened in 1992 and named as St. Michael Boarding Home.

The Hotagua and the Kaitongie families donated 44 Acres of land to the catholic mission for constructing the school with the understanding that their kids will be given the opportunity to attend CKC. When the elders passed away, their grandchildren requested the Catholic Mission to pay an annual lease rent to them. The Mission started paying but later left the burden with the school administration. Due to the Catholic Mission’s failure to pay the lease rent, children of the Land-owning families sold 10 acres of the land to private developers.

Mr. Kwame Yankson (National President of Christ the King College Old Boys Association, COBA), in consultation with the Board Chairman, Ing Dr John Tambi began to explore the possibility of buying the land from the land-owning families to save the school from losing a huge parcel. The Board of Governors endorsed a proposal in 2020 to purchase the land. Mr. Kaitongie, a member of the Board, was given the task of locating the real landowners with support from Paramount Chief Prince Lappia Boima of Bo Kakua Chiefdom. The final acreage purchased is 34 acres. COBA National Executive took the lead in raising the money from voluntary donations from the ex-pupils.

CKC came to a single shift on the 5th of October 2020 under the leadership of the current Board of Governors.

(Credits to Dr. John Tambi, and other sources.)