After receiving the news that I was placed in 2nd position in the eKitabu 2017 Digital Essay Competitions I eagerly awaited notification of the awards ceremony in Nairobi. Then day for me to visit Nairobi had finally arrived, I had never been there before. I woke up with the birds and got myself prepared and by 7.30am I was in school. I was bubbling over with excitement as it would be my first time to see the city. My teacher, Mr. Joe arrived just on time. We took some photos and then our journey kicked off.

Harrison boards the bus bound for Nairobi

We reached the bus station on time. Mr. Joe had already paid for the ticket. We boarded the bus and got ourselves seated. The driver set the ball rolling and drove to Mwembe Tayari. I was as happy as Sir Isaac Newton who discovered the force of gravity travelling in such a big multi-coloured bus. The journey went on and along the way I saw the Standard Gauge Railway Line and the Kenya-Uganda railway line transporting goods. We reached Mtito Andei for refreshments and lunch.

Award Ceremony in Nairobi

We covered up the remaining journey to Nairobi. There were monkeys along the road. We reached Nairobi late at night. We were picked up by a driver from the e-Kitabu members. We were taken to Pearl Hotel to put up the rest of the night there. I interacted with them. It was a nice hotel and liked it. The following day we were taken to the venue. It was at a mall called Sarit Centre. We were in our full school uniform. There were many people in there. I came across the French Ambassadors and some publishers.

Proud to represent SBM School, Harrison Mgoti

All the organisers said their speech. I was on pins and needles waiting for the most important part. After the introduction of everybody, the winners started being called out. I was mentioned as the second runner up. I stood up and walked to the platform with a big smile that could easily be read on my face. The vibrant smile on my face expressed incredulous joy. I received some presents including a Samsung Galaxy Tablet and 25,000kes towards my school fees in 2018 when I join high school. After the ceremony, I was taken to the view point of the Great Rift Valley where I saw Mt. Longonot – the tallest mountain on the floor of the Rift Valley.

Sight seeing in the Rift Valley

After that we returned to Nairobi. Surely the events of that day will be etched on my mind like an epitaph on a tombstone. Lastly I would like to show my thanks to you Papa Kevin and Mama Mary for providing everything for me. If it had not been for you I don’t know whether I would have seen Nairobi that early before doing my K.C.P.E. exams. May God bless you abundantly, long live Papa Kevin, Mama Mary & our SBM School Sponsors along with our teachers so that you can give a helping hand to many.

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