We live to fight another day, Dominic Orina speaks after missing Sh129m global award
Mr Dominic Orina, a teacher at Kugerwet Primary School in Bomet County.
Kenyan teacher Dominic Ming’ate Orina, who was eyeing the Sh129 million global teacher award, remains upbeat despite not winning the coveted prize.
The 34-year tutor at Kugerwet Primary School, Konoin Constituency in Bomet County, was shortlisted among 50 finalists for the 2025 global award but lost to Mansour AI Mansour of Saudi Arabia.
Mansour's win was announced on Thursday, February 13, 2025, at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, where Mr Orina was in attendance.
Speaking after the ceremony, the father of two thanked Kenyans for their unwavering support in wishing him well even though the award eluded him.
The farmer-cum-teacher added that making it to the top 50 was no mean achievement and he is proud of himself.
“Hello my good people, finally the Global Teacher Prize result was announced in the Government World Summit in Dubai and unfortunately, we didn't make it to bring the trophy home as we expected! Mansour Al Mansour, a Saudi Arabian teacher, won it,” Mr Orina posted on his Facebook page.
"Featuring among the Top 50 Globally is a great achievement for us too and representing our country Kenya is another big thing we should be proud of. The achievement is for all of us.”
He added, “I humbly say thank you to all of you for the great support you gave me throughout this journey. We aimed at the sun but we landed on the moon! We have another chance to do it better. Special thanks go to our Almighty God. I thank my students, colleague teachers, parents and my online community for the great support you have always offered to us and making sure we are moving forward smoothly.”
Mr Orina built a name for himself because of his deep passion for agriculture. He is famous across various social media platforms through his tutorials, which speak broadly on innovative farming.
He took his passion a notch higher at his work place where he engages his pupils in cultivating vegetables and keeping rabbits on school grounds.
Beyond the classroom, Orina collaborates with students and parents to establish kitchen gardens, promoting self-sufficiency and financial literacy through surplus vegetable sales, significantly improving community nutrition, with children proudly showcasing their homegrown produce.
Besides helping his learners embrace agriculture, Mr Orina has another initiative dubbed “Dress Me Up".
He has provided over 150 students, especially those from humble backgrounds with new uniforms. This has helped boost their self-esteem and school attendance.
He has actualised this through the support he receives from his fans who follow him online and well-wishers.
It is under this initiative, that he has managed to supply sanitary towels and learning materials to underprivileged students. Addressing these barriers, Dominic has ensured more children stay in school to study.
He employs both traditional and digital ways of teaching. His efforts have transformed his school into a beacon of innovation and hope. It is through his influence, that his students exhibit high levels of discipline, responsibility and academic performance.