Winners of a creative writing competition put together by Asharami Synergy Kenya Limited, a Sahara Group Company, have been announced at an awards ceremony held at KCA University, Nairobi.
Hope Nabalayo and Ariel Major, both students of the University of Nairobi (UoN), were the joint winners.
Cheryl Omolo of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Julius Musya Kilonzo of Baraton University, and Nelson Gichuki of Kisii University emerged third, fourth and fifth respectively.
The 2023 competition was organized for university students in Kenya aimed at fostering greater understanding and participation of youth in climate action, energy transition discourse, and sustainability.
Tagged the ‘Asharami Synergy Creative Writing Competition’, the initiative received 225 submissions from students who submitted essays, poems and plays on “Creating a Sustainable Path for Africa’s Energy Transition.”
The winning entries stood out for their creativity, originality and ability to convey compelling messages capable of facilitating the participation of young Kenyans in Africa’s march towards energy access and sustainability.
“This has been mission accomplished for Sahara Group Foundation and Asharami Synergy Kenya as our focus was to get youths in Kenya involved in the conversation around climate change and energy transition in Africa, especially seeing that they will bear the brunt of decisions made today,” said Ejiro Gray, Director at Sahara Group Foundation.
Commending Sahara Group and Asharami Synergy Kenya for the initiative, Prof Vincent Onywera, Deputy Vice Chancellor (DVC) for Research, Innovation and Outreach at KCA University, said that climate change is a matter that calls for inclusive engagement of all stakeholders.
According to Lavinah Gonah, Operations Supervisor at Asharami Synergy Kenya in collaboration with the Sahara Group Foundation and Treedom, they have since commenced tree-planting to reduce carbon emissions with an initial 1100 trees.
Excited winner Hope Nabalayo said: “I want to thank Asharami Synergy for giving me and many other students the opportunity to truly express ourselves and contribute to the cause of creating sustainable solutions. Winning this award allows me to tap further into my creativity and be more vocal in environmental matters that affect Africa and knowing that as a youth I am at the forefront of fulfilling this mandate.”
Beaming with smiles, joint winner Ariel Major said the win was a milestone for her as she is passionate about climate justice and change.
“This competition is a step towards developing a clean Kenya and a clean Africa. These are steps that will lead towards clean energy and environmental sustainability,” she said.
In line with Sahara Group’s dedication to celebrating and rewarding excellence, the top five winners received cash prizes, plaques and certificates for their excellent performance. The joint winners received $500 each, while the third, fourth and fifth received $250, $150, and $100, respectively.
By Stephen Muthini
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