Two Kenyan journalists have been feted for their investigative work in exposing the fake photos used by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations – DCI during the anti-government protests.
Mary Kulundu and James Okong’o, who work at the AFP, won the Fact-Check of the Year at African Awards at the Africa Facts Summit for their discovery.
In a statement, AFP congratulated the duo for their remarkable skills that exposed the unrelated photos dispatched by the police.
“Congratulations to Mary Kulundu and James Okong’o for their remarkable investigative work, exposing how Kenyan police employed unrelated images on social media to surveil anti-government protesters,” AFP announced.
Both Kulundu and Okong’o were present in the award ceremony held in Mauritius. In her remarks, Kulundu welcomed the prize noting that it was testament to the world’s appreciation of her work.
“Seeing our work recognised at the Africa Facts Summit shows that it has an impact beyond our home country,” she stated.
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On his part, Okong’o- who bagged the runners up prize last year, stated that he was optimistic that their story would have a major impact.
The duo has worked at the international news agency for years specializing in digital investigative journalism.
Organized by Africa Check, the awards brought together 180 fact checkers drawn from different news and fact checking organizations.
Winners in all categories in the Awards took home Ksh 441,000 while the runners up won Ksh 220,000.
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DCI photos that caught journalists attention
In their exposé in March 2023, Kulundu and Okong’o drew the nation’s attention to the authenticity of the photos shared by DCI.
As part of the government’s strategy to contain violent demonstrators, the investigative unit splashed multiple photos of persons they claimed were caught on camera destroying property in Nairobi.
In addition, the DCI warned that investigations were underway to bring the persons captured in the photos to book.
However, investigative pieces including the one done by Kulundu and Okong’o lifted the lid on the mistakes made in the process, to spark a nationwide uproar.
Subsequently, DCI pulled the photos down and issued an apology for the mix up in their photos.
