National Book Development Council of Kenya Literary Awards

"In writing there's ain't a winner nor a loser..." These were the opening and welcoming remarks to the eagerly and anxiously listening young and upcoming authors at the 13th Nairobi International Book Fair, 22nd September, 2010. The Literary Wards event was organized by the National Book Development Council of Kenya to award young and upcoming authors. Young writers from all over the country assembled at the Seminar Hall of the Nairobis's Sarit Centre, apart from participating in the 13th Nairobi International Book Fair, to know how they'd fared in the Young and Upcoming writers' competition which was organized by the NBDCK from June, 2010. After an hour talk on book writing and a five-minute entertainment came the moment the enthusiastic young men and women were waiting for - Literary Awards.
The bombshell was almost debilitating - only that I was sitting I couldn't succumb to the frailty of the impuissance of the wave that swept through my whole body - I WAS ONE OF THE WINNERS - in the Youth Category for my poetry collection - FIRST WORDS. The reason why it came as a shock to me is because just a few months earlier I had presented the same manuscript for publication only for it to be rejected and returned to me without even a comment on what I should do to improve it. It was a momentous moment in my writing career as now I am looking forward to having my work published.