When life seemed unbearable after completing my attachment at a local wire agency in Kisii, I even contemplated quitting school because raising money for upkeep was cumbersome.
But a casual chat with a colleague in Kisii University changed my life significantly until now. That morning, in the rainy terrains of Kisii, Paul Tarus, a media student approached me and asked me to register with Hivisasa.com, a local news dissemination site.
"Abuga, you are a talented writer and I don't see the reason why you should wait until you finish school to get a job. Have you ever tried online writing?" he politely asked me.
Ignorant of the digital media, I replied back: "I have never written online before but if you have an idea, I won't hesitate to seize it."
And that chilly morning would be the start of a long but rather a smooth journey in my writing career, that has undoubtedly moved a step high. Writing for Hivisasa.com proved easier for me because getting news in a busy town was as easy as walking in the park.
With the base pay of Sh100 by then, my fluency in writing would earn be roughly up to Sh4,000 a week, a sum that made my life in campus significantly change in 2014.
More importantly, the company would dish out lucrative bonuses during the weekends and being a top writer, the rough estimates of my weekly earning could hit Sh10,000. With undisputed writing passion in me, I made it a hobby and Hivisasa.com became my home.
Having decided to establish my career in online writing, I did not care about leaving the company since most media houses had shifted their focus to digital reporting, which has evidently colonized both local and international media.
After two years of working in the company, I would receive a familiar call from the company with the caller requesting me to take up an editorial job at Hivisasa.com.
I made connections by developing a close working relationship with those in authorities and the political elites
"Boss, this is Enock and I am requesting you to report to our offices to take over editorial duties,' he said, as my career took another interesting step.
Since December 2016, I have been working as an editor before being elevated to County Editorial Manager for Nyamira. My simple duty is ensuring we produce captivating content for our readers across the country.
Since my writing day, I must admit that things have substantially changed in terms of remuneration for writers. The company is paying articles based on performance and I have seen a single article generating up to Sh500.
Equally, bonuses have been improved and they have given county writers change to compete and grow. I can authoritatively state that writing and working for Hivisasa has shaped my journalism career drastically.