Kenyans who have established online presence have an opportunity to be recognized for using social media positively to impact lives. This comes after the unveiling of ‘Call for Nominations’ for the 2nd Annual OLX Kenya Social Media Awards (SOMA) 2014.

The Annual OLX Kenya Social Media Awards, which is scheduled for October 2, 2014, will also see individuals and organizations feted for their roles in contributing to the growth of social media.

The theme for this year’s Awards is “Making Social Media Work For You”. The new categories included are the National and County Governments, Learning Institutions, and Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs).

Other categories for nominations are:

• Social Network Personality of the Year
• Large Corporation Category
• SMEs Category
• The National and County governments
• Traditional Media
• Best use of Social Media and
• The Best of the Best.

More details on the categories and nominations criteria can be obtained from Soma.or.ke.

Social Media Awards (SOMA) Director, Martin Muli, said the categories have been reviewed to make the Awards more relevant to the tremendous growth witnessed in social media use over the last one year.

“These Awards are designed to create a platform to celebrate the contribution of social media to the social, economic and political spheres of our lives…the consolidation and new additions in categories will serve to grow the Social Media Awards in stature and popularity over the coming years,” Muli said.

Muli acknowledged that the recognition of influencers in the local social media realm speaks to the growth of internet usage especially though mobile platforms, which have experienced exponential growth.

According to industry reports, internet subscribers in Kenya have grown by 13 percent in the second quarter of the 2013/2014 financial year to stand at 13.1 million subscribers. This is up from 11.9 million recorded in the previous quarter with mobile subscriptions as the largest contributor of internet data subscriptions.

The Director of Digital Media in the Presidential Strategic Communications Unit, Dennis Itumbi, who was the chief guest at the event, said the Government will set up a digital advisory council to streamline use of social media by public institutions.

Itumbi commented that lack of a body to oversee the development and implementation of social media strategy had made it impossible for public institutions to reap full benefits of the digital communications.

He also challenged social media users to play a role in the formulation of a Bill that will ensure self-regulation to curb cases of abuse.

OLX Kenya CEO, Peter Ndiangu’i, said social media has boosted the growth of e-commerce, helped in attainment of career objectives and enhancement of citizens’ participation in governance.

Ndiangu’i also warned against abuse social media channels, saying: “If abused, social media can disintegrate the social fabric by creating disharmony and hatred among various communities.”