The Digital Essay Writing Competition (DEC) 2024 awards ceremony, held at the end of September during the Nairobi International Book Fair at Sarit Expo Center, Nairobi, was a vibrant and highly anticipated event. This twelfth edition of the competition saw a record-breaking number of entries, with 18,480 students from 191 schools across Kenya’s 47 counties participating. What stood out most this year was the inclusivity of the competition, with students both with and without disabilities actively taking part, highlighting the commitment to creating equal opportunities for all learners.
“The DEC 2024 has been a game changer for us on two fronts: firstly, we had the highest number of participants, and secondly, we introduced two separate questions for different categories, which was a success,” said Michael Ng’eno, Senior Programmes Manager at eKitabu.
For the Primary and Junior Secondary school categories, the question was: “How can we take care of our environment at home and in school?” while Secondary school students tackled: “How can students contribute to addressing climate change in their communities and globally?” Submissions done at essaycontest@ekitabu.com in — English, Kiswahili, Art, Kenyan Sign Language, Braille, French, German, and Arabic categories.
Angela Dorothy, a Form Three student from Ogande Girls High School, couldn’t contain her excitement after winning first place in the English category. “I feel elated that I’m carrying a prize back home,” she said. The top six winners received tablets, while the first three winners were awarded scholarships. Additionally, schools received certificates, and students took home gift hampers and shirts.
However, eKitabu emphasized that the competition’s value lay beyond the prizes. The goal was to nurture young minds and encourage them to address real-world challenges. The essay topics, such as climate change, pushed learners to think critically and inspire change in their communities. Koki Kinuthia, a 15-year-old student from Limuru Girls Secondary School, shared how the topic of climate change opened her eyes to the global nature of the issue, encouraging collective action to combat its effects.
Despite its success, the DEC 2024 faced several challenges. Ng’eno expressed concern over the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in generating some of the essays, which led to a lack of originality. Other issues included plagiarism, directly translated essays, and the lack of proactive engagement from some schools, which left students without adequate support.
Additionally, students struggled with realistic writing, translation, and researching unfamiliar topics. Despite these challenges, teachers were proud of their students' achievements. “The joy of a teacher is to see your student succeed and their dream fulfilled,” said Moffat Mbea, an English and Literature teacher at Ogande Girls High School.
The judging panel, made up of teachers specializing in various fields, ensured fairness in the competition. “The essay competition has been a great success as it gives students an opportunity and a platform to explore their talent or express themselves through writing. It was a fair competition,” added Mbea.
The scholarships awarded were significant: Ksh50,000 for the Grand Prize Winner in each category, Ksh25,000 for the 1st Runners-Up, and Ksh10,000 for the 2nd Runners-Up. Registration for the competition is free and open to all schools, from grade five to form four. Both hard copy and digital submissions are accepted, with teachers encouraged to review the quality of their students' work before submission.
Looking forward, eKitabu hopes to further improve the competition by encouraging feedback on how to run future editions. They also hope to bring more partners, teachers, and sponsors on board to ensure even greater inclusivity and success in the years to come.
Check out the full list of winners and finalists here. For more information, learners, teachers, schools and parents can contact eKitabu via email: essaycontest@ekitabu.com.