We're loading the full news article for you. This includes the article content, images, author information, and related articles.
Top-performing student John Mwalili scavenges at a Nairobi dumpsite to raise fees for Alliance High School, exposing the brutal reality of inequality in Kenya\s education system.

This is the image of a broken system. John Mwangi Mwalili, a brilliant 15-year-old mind who scored a stunning 64 points in the KJSEA exams, should be sitting in a classroom at the prestigious Alliance High School. Instead, he is scavenging for plastic bottles at the Kware dumpsite in Mukuru, choking on toxic smoke to raise his school fees.
John’s story is a scathing indictment of the Ministry of Education’s 100% transition policy. While government bureaucrats pontificate about "Free Day Secondary Education," a child who conquered the odds to secure a slot at an academic giant is rotting in a garbage heap. His crime? Being born poor in a country where education is sold to the highest bidder.
"I want to be a doctor," John says, his voice steady despite the filth surrounding him. [...](asc_slot://start-slot-7)He earns a meager Sh3 for every kilogram of plastic he collects. [...](asc_slot://start-slot-9)On a "good day," he makes Sh150. The fees and requirements for Alliance High School stand at over KSh 120,000. Do the math. At his current rate, it would take him over two years of daily scavenging just to step foot in class.
John Mwalili has done his part. He studied by candlelight, he passed, and he is willing to work in a dumpsite to learn. The question is, will Kenya fail him? If we let this dream die in the Kware dumpsite, we are not a nation; we are a crime scene.
Keep the conversation in one place—threads here stay linked to the story and in the forums.
Other hot threads
E-sports and Gaming Community in Kenya
Active 8 months ago
Popular Recreational Activities Across Counties
Active 8 months ago
The Role of Technology in Modern Agriculture (AgriTech)
Active 8 months ago
Investing in Youth Sports Development Programs
Active 8 months ago