African Blogger Of The Year Award Nominees Have Been Announced, But This Is Why Writer PHILIP ETEMESI Deserves The Award More Than Any Other Nominee

Being nominated for a major continental award is no mean feat for an individual, considering the number of blogs created each, the expansion of knowledge thanks to technological developments and the fact that the world has become more of a global village where ideas fly quicker than before and information is shared faster than it used to be early on.

Nominees for the award of the African Blogger of the Year were announced two days ago and among them is a Kenyan writer facing off with his compatriots and others from Nigeria and other countries within the continent.

Writer Philip Etemesi, a self-proclaimed sheriff of the town who almost every ardent reader has come across his stories, articles and conversations is in the nominees list.

From Capital to Mwalii Kenya, Etemesi has remained one of the most astute, consistent and trustworthy writers of our time. His achievements in informing Kenyans are much speakable but will need the rest of your day to expound. I have, however, gathered enough energy to let you know why Philip Etemesi deserves this award more than any other nominee.

He started off as a writer with Capital. Capital, as we all know is an established media house that has been in this industry for years. At Capital, Etemesi wrote for Capital Campus, a section that dealt with campus news and events as they unfolded.

Here, an ardent reader will vividly remember how Etemesi brought the inside stories of campus life; how university students went about their activities within and without campus, helping those who knew nothing about campus life to have a glimpse of the same.

He did opinion pieces that a campus student would not want to miss. He interviewed campus students, revealed the one-day relationships that divine most campus students, the bitter truth of how loans from the government made some students crazy and how those who had been deprived of freedom by their parents and guardians spoiled themselves after realizing they had all the freedom they were craving.

I remember vividly of a story Etemesi did on how a housekeeper in Campus ruined a student’s Valentines day. That was one of the many catchy pieces Etemesi did. In a nutshell, Etemesi made all of us know what campus was exactly made of.

Writer Philip Etemesi

After capital, Etemesi’s skill in joking with words landed him a job with Niaje.com. If you don’t know Niaje.com raise your hand. Well, I haven’t seen any hand.

Niaje.com was one of the most vibrant blogs after Ghafla Kenya. That is unquestionable. The blog was one of the many promising ones that to date have left people wondering why they had to come down crumbling, leaving Ghafla Kenya as the only relevant and standing online entertainment media house.

Niaje became Niaje when Philip Etemesi joined it. His followers from Capital migrated with him. Within a span of months, with the help of Etemesi, Niaje grew as one of the most revered blogs in Kenya. Only Ghafla beat them in that game.

All this was due to Etemesi’s genius in attracting the readership with scintillating articles. He wrote articles that not only captivated but also enthralled and left the reader with an insatiable appetite for more. Readers had been treated with what they wanted.

Through Etemesi, Niaje.com had started giving Ghafla Kenya a run for its money until when its (Niaje.com) management became rogue. This, once again, spelled the end of Philip Etemesi’s relationship with Niaje.com

He left. Niaje.com came down crumbling. With a thud. It was broken. It succumbed to the void that Etemesi left. It eventually got buried. To date, Niaje.com is nowhere to be seen or heard.

Etemesi went on to team up with Baba ghafla, Samwel Majani, to come up with Mwalii Kenya. Again, who doesn’t know Mwalii Kenya? Hands up please!… No hand. All of us know Mwalii Kenya. But for those who doubt their minds, I will, briefly, help you know one or two about Mwalii Kenya.

It is a relationship and creative writing blog that has almost all solutions to your relationship disturbances. Etemesi, together with Majani, were the architects of this blog after keenly studying the relationship landscape in Kenya and beyond.

To date, almost four months down the line, Mwalii Kenya is the only true and reliable relationships blog standing. With the scintillating revelations and creativity by Etemesi, the blog has over 700,000 users, with over 220,000 likes on its Facebook Page.

This, in Kenya, and beyond, is no mean feat to achieve. This is Etemesi’s genius at work. His creativity. His prowess with the pen. And he is not stopping there. Day in, day out, he is going places.

This and many more are the reasons why Etemesi has been nominated for the African Blogger of the Year awards in a ceremony scheduled for Lagos, Nigeria early next month.

This is the reason why Etemesi should win this once in a lifetime award. An award that he is contesting with the likes of renowned Nigerian blogger Linda Ikeji.

However, winning the award needs our support. And we can do so by voting him by clicking http://www.smaafrica.com/vote/blogger-of-the-year/ and voting under Philip Etemesi.

He surely deserves the award.