Mr Dominic Orina, a teacher at Kugerwet Primary School in Bomet County.
Dominic Ming’ate Orina is no stranger to Kenyans, especially those with a deep passion for agriculture.
Before he was shortlisted for the Global Teacher Award, the 34-year-old farmer-cum-teacher had already made a name for himself across various social media platforms through his tutorials that speak broadly on innovative farming practices.
It all started in 2017 when Orina became a victim of the government’s delocalisation policy, which transferred teachers to their home counties.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) posted him to Kugerwet Primary School, Konoin Constituency, in Bomet County.
The teacher, who traces his roots to Nyamira County, immediately embarked on a journey to his new workstation in Bomet.
While in Nyamira, Orina was accustomed to a rich diet, consisting of a variety of vegetables, fruits, and whites. He however found out that there was a scarcity of these food stuff in Konoin as locals there engaged largely in tea growing and dairy farming.
Dominic Orina, who is a teacher at Kugerwet Primary School, with some of his pupils who are members the school's 4K Club.
He rented a room at Satiet shopping centre and a few days after settling down, the appetite to establish a small kitchen garden, where he could grow vegetables for his consumption, kept on growing.
With permission from his landlord, he set up a small garden behind his house and planted some collard greens (sukuma wiki), spinach, lettuce, cauliflower, beetroot, onions and other vegetables.
Within a short time, his vegetables blossomed into the admiration of his neighbours.
He pressed on with this practice until 2020 when the country suffered the Covid-19 pandemic. In a bid to contain its spread, the government imposed stringent measures, including restriction of movement and lockdowns.
It was during this time that Orina made a breakthrough. He displayed pictures of his kitchen garden project on his social media pages attracting the attention of Kenyans who admired his innovative practices.
He received positive reactions even from Kenyans in the diaspora who messaged him with inquiries on how they could set up their kitchen gardens.
Because of the overwhelming inquiries, he created a Facebook page and named it “Sacks and Containers Gardening Tips” and started sharing regular updates, with rich insights.
The page has grown exponentially over the year— currently boasting a fan base of more than 470,000 followers.
When schools were finally reopened in 2021, Orina realised that Kenya’s new education system, the Competence Based Curriculum (CBC), had given agriculture a new lifeline as it emphasised the need for learners to get acquainted with innovative agriculture.
He took his idea of kitchen gardening to Kugerwet Primary School. With the help of the school’s headteacher, Orina managed to set up a farming project on a portion of the schoolland where, together with the pupils, he grew vegetables and kept rabbits.
Orina and his learners would later revamp the once-famous 4K clubs.
Buoyed by the 4K clubs’ clarion call of Kuungana, Kufanya Kusaidia Kenya (Uniting, doing and helping Kenya), the instructor managed to combine innovation, resilience, and compassion to address the challenges faced by his pupils and the local community.
Beyond the classroom, he collaborates with learners and parents to establish kitchen gardens.
By promoting self-sufficiency and financial literacy through surplus vegetable sales, Orina has significantly improved community nutrition, with children proudly showcasing their homegrown produce.
His work consequently earned him recognition as a transformative force in education.
Besides helping his learners embrace agriculture in their teens, Orina has another initiative dubbed "Dress Me Up" where he has provided over 150 pupils, especially those from humble backgrounds, with new uniforms. This has helped boost the pupils’ self-esteem and school attendance.
He has actualised this through the support he receives from his online fans and well-wishers. It is also under this initiative that he has managed to supply sanitary towels and learning materials to underprivileged students.
“When heavens open, God showers his blessings! Good news to 21 girls from humble backgrounds to receive new uniforms soon! Education is for all! Today one of my good friends decided to clothe my girls. Be blessed,” the teacher posted on January 19.
By addressing these barriers, Orina strongly believes that more children will be able to stay in school to study.
In a bid to ensure that his students grasp his lessons well, Orina employs both traditional and digital teaching methods. His efforts have transformed his school into a beacon of innovation and hope.
It is through his influence that his learners exhibit high levels of discipline, responsibility, and academic performance.
Back home, Orina lives a humble life.
When he is not in school, you will find him at his kitchen garden tending to vegetables at Satiet shopping centre, where he lives with his family. He occasionally visits his relatives in Manga during holidays.
Before the global award nomination, Orina had been feted by the Ministry of Education and the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The UNESCO award was for his distinguished Community service.
The Education ministry recognised him for being the best innovative teacher in CBC within the Cheptalal zone.
He also emerged second in three awards under the Optiven Foundation in 2021.
Orina is the third Kenyan who has made it to the last 50 of the prestigious global award since its inception in 2015.
“Overwhelmed and honored to let you know that I have been shortlisted to the top 50 of the 9th Global Teacher Prize! This wouldn't be possible without the incredible support of my amazing people, like you. Keep me in your prayers to carry the trophy home by the end of the competition,” Orina posted on Facebook upon receiving news of his shortlisting on January 19.
“My students, parents, teachers, and the entire community let us share this blessing. Improving people's lives through education is our priority. Glory be to God.”
The winner of the award takes home Sh129 million (USD 1 million) as a token of appreciation. In 2019, Peter Tabichi made history as the first Kenyan to win the award.
In 2020, another Kenyan, Linah Anyango got shortlisted among the 50 finalists of the award but it eluded her.
The Global Teacher Prize is awarded to a teacher with an outstanding contribution to the profession.
