At Korr Primary School, the bell rings not for class, but for a daily battle against starvation as 700 learners wait for government food aid that never comes.

In the scorched plains of Marsabit County, education has become a secondary pursuit to survival. At Korr Primary and Junior School, 705 learners drag themselves to class each morning, their bodies emaciated and their concentration shattered by hunger. The school has become a monument to neglect.

Since schools reopened on January 5, the institution has not received a single grain of food from the government’s school feeding programme. The "hot lunch" that once incentivized attendance has vanished, leaving empty plates and fading dreams in its wake.

A Classroom of Ghosts

Headteacher Skai Leaduma cuts a frustrated figure. His office is filled with pleas from parents, not for grades, but for gruel. “In 2025, we received food only in the first term,” he reveals. “For the rest of the year, we relied on well-wishers. Now, we are on our own.”

The impact is devastating. Teachers report that while pupils are physically present, they are mentally absent—too weak to focus, too hungry to learn. Many succumb to fatigue by mid-morning, collapsing on their desks in a silent testament to the crisis.

• Dropout Rate: Absenteeism has surged as children abandon books to help parents scavenge for wild roots or water.
• System Failure: The supply chain for relief food appears broken, with deliveries arriving weeks late or not at all.
• The Promise: The government’s pledge of "No child left behind" rings hollow in the ears of Korr’s starving students.

The Drought Multiplier

Marsabit is currently in the grip of a relentless drought that has decimated livestock—the local economy’s backbone. With no milk at home and no beans at school, these children are trapped in a caloric deficit that threatens their physical and cognitive development.

“We are breeding a generation of stunted futures,” warns a local NGO worker. “You cannot teach algebra to a starving child.”

A Plea for Dignity

The situation in Marsabit is a humanitarian emergency masquerading as an educational challenge. Immediate intervention is required not just to keep children in school, but to keep them alive. Until the food trucks arrive, the chalkboard at Korr Primary will remain a blur to eyes dimmed by hunger.