Larry Madowo took to Twitter on Monday to announce his temporary exit from BBC where he is the Business Editor for Africa.
He noted that he only had three weeks left before he took time off to be a full-time student at Columbia University in New York.
The BBC Africa Editor was lucky to be chosen among the beneficiaries of the 44th Knight-Bagehot fellowship in Business and Economics at the Columbia Journalism School.
The fellowship that is awarded to individuals with four-year experience in business journalism is expected to run for one year.
In his tweet, Madowo did not specify whether he will be back with the British broadcaster after he completes his fellowship.
He may also seek to qualify for a Master of Arts degree in journalism at the end of his year if he opts to complete the course-work required for that degree.
Larry further went on to ask Nairobians to treat him nicely before his departure.
“Hard to believe that I’ve got just 3 weeks left with the BBC before taking a break to be a full-time student again at Columbia University. New York City, I’ll see you soon but for now, Nairobi, be nice to me,” he wrote on his Twitter handle.
He was chosen alongside 400 other graduates in what the university described as the largest and most rigorous mid-career journalism fellowship in the world.
The mid-career journalism fellowship provides full tuition and a living stipend of Ksh6 million for the entire year for experienced journalists to take graduate courses at Columbia University, primarily at Columbia's Schools of Business and Journalism.
The university website revealed that during his time at BBC he has set up and led a unit of nearly 30 journalists spread across Africa and London, covering Africa’s business, tech, and innovation in English, French and Swahili.
He also has been a contributing columnist for The Washington Post’s Global Opinions page and also written for CNN.com and Forbes Africa.
Larry was also named one of the 100 Most Influential Africans 2018 by New African Magazine.
