The Maralal Camel Derby is an annual event, held in the middle of the year just outside of Maralal town.
This is Kenya’s best known and most prestigious camel race that often attracts both local and international competitors. This year's camel derby was the 30th edition and was held between August 24, and September 1.
Of all the competitors in the derby this year, one girl stood out. Her name is Vanilla Lesooni, a 15-year-old form two student at Moi Girls Samburu.
This is not the first time she is participating in the camel derby. She did it in 2015 when she was only 11, then a student at Nkoroto Primary School in Samburu.
The second born in her family, she has had serious challenges in raising the Ksh 11,400 for the third term school fees, which prompted her to join the camel races to win a cash prize.
"It is not easy to raise school fees. My parents have been trying their best but the challenges are still there Through this derby, I know I will raise part of it or even the full amount," she told The Standard.
Her mother takes pride in her, praising her as an intelligent child who managed an average grade of C+ with a stellar performance in computer studies and Physics, where she scored an A Plain.
When the dust had settled, Vanilla, who has aspirations of becoming an engineer was first amongst the female competitors in her amateur category, earning Ksh 10,000 prize money. This win prompted her to join the professional race, where she emerged 2nd. The amateur race had 15 entrants while the elite races recorded 11 participants.
The Standard reports that during the awards ceremony, she wowed spectators who then turned the event into a fundraiser, raising Ksh 25,000 in addition to Ksh 17,000 in race winnings.
"I can now settle my school fees and help my parents as they struggle to pay fees for my elder siblings. This is a motivation and from this year going forward, I will be participating in the derby," the elated girl told the reporter.
In the races, the highest prize is Ksh 65,000 for the 10Km men's amateur races and Ksh 10,000 for female racers covering the same distance. In the 21 Km elite race, the winning prize is Ksh 80,000.
The aim of the camel derby is aimed at bringing together the Turkana, Samburu, Rendille and Pokot communities.
During the derby, residents are said to gather, some with an intent to compete in the derby and others just to trade, participate in traditional games or just to learn new cultures.
