- eKitabu’s Digital Essay Competition has drawn a record 24,900 entries from Kenyan students in its 14th year
- Judges have noted improved writing quality alongside some AI-generated content, and highlighted bullying and exam-related cheating as recurring themes in student essays.
- Winners will be announced on September 25 at the Nairobi International Book Fair, with the competition’s new Mother Tongue category drawing over 200 entries in its debut year.
By Benedict Aoya
More than 24,900 students from Nairobi schools and remote learning centres in refugee camps have taken part in eKitabu’s Digital Essay Competition, now in its 14th year and its largest edition yet.
This year’s prompt, “Let Me Speak,” drew a wide range of responses from students across the country. Beatrice Kikuyu, a teacher at Mary Lusweti Comprehensive School in Kakamega County and one of more than 30 judges who spent weeks marking submissions, said the quality of writing had improved this year, though some entries showed signs of AI use. “We have seen an improvement in the quality of writing this year, but also some use of Artificial Intelligence,” she said. Kikuyu noted that the prompt encouraged students to write about personal issues they often find difficult to discuss with parents and teachers. “The topic was good and encouraged students to write about issues affecting them, even in ways they find difficult to talk about with parents and teachers. Writing makes room to rethink the way guidance and counselling happen in schools,” she said.
Bullying featured prominently across the essays, a recurring theme in Kenyan classrooms. One entry from a student in western Kenya alleged that parents had been asked to pay between Ksh5,000 and Ksh10,000 to facilitate cheating on behalf of their children.
The competition, which spans all 47 counties and is open to learners with and without disabilities, including those in refugee camps and special needs schools, introduced a new Mother Tongue category this year alongside nine existing categories: English, Kiswahili, French, German, Arabic, Braille, Art, Kenyan Sign Language and Mandarin Chinese. The Mother Tongue category drew more than 200 entries in its debut year. Among the foreign language categories, French led with over 100 entries, while German and Arabic each attracted more than 60 entries. Mandarin Chinese, introduced in 2025, grew to 20 entries this year, up from five in its first year.
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eKitabu CEO Will Clurman credited the programme’s longevity to its partnership with Kenya’s Ministry of Education. “Since 2013, when we started this programme, the Ministry of Education has been our constant collaborator, with thousands of teachers and school administrators. Their ideas, energy and feedback have made this programme creative, inclusive and real,” he said.
Winners will be announced on September 25 at the Nairobi International Book Fair, held at the Sarit Expo Centre in Westlands, Nairobi. Prizes will include computing devices, scholarship money and formal recognition from the Kenya Publishers Association and the Ministry of Education, with separate categories for primary, junior and secondary school learners.
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Since its founding in 2013, the Digital Essay Competition has drawn more than 137,000 student participants nationally, growing into what organisers describe as Kenya’s largest writing programme. This year, more than 12,000 public and private schools were invited to participate, with entries ultimately received from 42 counties.
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