BRILLIANCE AT DAYSTAR UNIVERSITY’S TRIPPLE B AWARDS

BY EMBUKANE VINCENT LIBOSSO

Saturday 13^th April 2013 is a day that had been long awaited by Daystarians. If for a moment you thought-or at least hoped the chilly morning showers would ruin the day; the Daystar Tripple B awards-Brilliance, Brains and Beauty went down at the Pride Inn Centre in Westlands Nairobi.

After days that turned into weeks of waiting due to the set dates being postponed; by Friday; getting a ticket for the event was overwhelmingly a crazy expedition after they had sold out the previous Thursday evening.

Days prior to the event; and hours prior too; social media pages were abuzz and the ultimate pre-link up joints as students psyched each other up. The event organizers; Daystar University Students Association (DUSA) used the social media to psyche up the students and assure them the success of the event. DUSA did manage to team up with DSTV Kenya and other partners in support of the event.

5pm; an hour to the communicated departure time from Valley Road campus; Arsenal fans thronged the TV-lounge to watch the Gunners gun down Norwich City. A tweet from a Daystarian read: “a win for Arsenal. Next win @ Tripple B Awards. Mr. and Miss Daystar LEGOOOOO!!!!”

6PM; we were at the parking lot ready to board the buses to Westlands. Suddenly; the ever raving Westlands was overwhelmed with Daystarians. The cold weather did not dictate the dress code; ladies showed up all sassy in dinner dresses; short sleeveless skirts; sleeveless tops; power stilettos and matching heels, regardless of the occasional showers that hit the grounds. Talk about freeze and feverish!

The on-standby photographers had difficult Kodak moment times as the lush Pride Centre was turned into a fashion Central- forget Milan Fashion Week! The gents opted more for the royal white and black suits; matching ties or bow ties; tuxedoes; colorful blazers and what every guy in Nairobi is into- color blocking. And, well; the color blocking theme being alive amongst us; many guys rocked it. It was one event where the denims; the hues; the All-stars were put aside.

“Daystar needs more of this!” exclaimed an excited Daystarian dude as he hustled into the jam packed event, “That is a good one! Nyemelearing all the way!” he exclaimed as scantily dressed ladies made their way into the event arena. Even with such comments we had some who saw no need to make to the event. Michelle; an upcoming model and student at Daystar notes, “such events are just the one opportunity we Daystar ladies have to showcase what the good Lord has given us by scantily dressing. To me the events miss their worth and they are just a popularity contest-kama ndrama Kama vindeo!”

Whether her argument is true or not is something we might never know without a detail research but the sheer brilliance was palpable as guys mingled before the buffet dinner was served. The tables were themed red and black lushed with romantic red rose petals. Mr. and Miss Daystar for a long period of time had been on probation and totally banned once due to inappropriate behavior that went against the Christian virtues that govern the university. Heeding to these words; the DUSA executive members did note that they wanted to give Daystar an event that will build confidence among the administration and increase a trust to freely hold such events.

The Tripple B awards; in line with the name- Beauty; Brains and Brilliance; celebrated the best outsourced companies; the best student oriented clubs; student servant leaders and lecturers as voted by the students. The most awaited among the entrée for the night perhaps was the Beauty part- the Mr. and Miss Daystar.

Contestants for the runway pageant had time on the runway to show case various themes in the different categories: dinner/couples; African wear and creative segments.

Family; friends and comrades alike thronged the event arena with their loud vuvuzelas and whistles rooting for their favorite contestants as they made their way on the runway.

The well-laid out venue; with gigantic screens on the sides offered a variety of entertainment. The emcees for the night were Chitto from Zambia and Nyawira from Kenya; both students. They hyped the crowd even as Homeboyz radio Dj Touch was busy setting up the decks. The event was graced by veteran gospel artistes Mr. Tee and the Wernono Family.

The night’s cuisine; prepared by the Pride Inn hotels; featured a delightful “foodie” aficionado adventure; competing with the fresh laid desserts and assorted salads.

Everything was in full gear as the finest contestants; 8 dudes and 8 chics; prepped themselves for the grueling finals.

Some felt the script was well written even before the event; if the rants; raves cheers and screams hurled at different contestants; were anything to go by.

But they were in for a rude awakening when Samuel Mariga; popularly known as K-SAM and Eva Wagari were crowned Mr. and Miss Daystar Nairobi campus.

The event had its up and downs according to the views of the crowd in attendance. Booze was not allowed and so was secular music; which to many students it did not alter well.

The contestants too had their moments of embarrassment during the Question and Answer segment; especially on general knowledge; current events and what goes on around Daystar. Their argument: ‘these were not the questions we were asked to prepare on!”

The crowd too felt the contestants did not impress especially on the creative segment. Guys got bored half way through and started making noise in small groups especially towards the end of the event.

Giving credit where it is deserved; the security detail was on top. The venue selected was nothing short of dope. The ambiance and lighting were just glamorous. The organizers despite offering free transportation to and from; many people failed to capitalize on it. This ended up interfering with the schedule as the event was meant to begin at 7pm and end at 10 pm but it went past 2a.m in the morning. The sponsors of the event were great offering goodies to the students and just supporting the whole event.

All in all; with room for improvement; and with no drama reported; it was definitely a glamorous event and justifiably the best event in the Daystar calendar.

After 2a.m; those who could not make it home opted to dance the night away in a party filled galore of wetlands vicinity.

John Magati JR on Facebook shares some of the photos below...

-I dedicate this piece to my friend; brother and colleague Calvin Ober who was attacked by armed men along Moi Avenue as he and his friend drove to the event. Wish you a quick recovery bro!

more photos are here-http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.464525313624845.1073741833.440804702663573&type=3