Five Kenyans, among them Citizen TV anchor Lilian Muli, have been recognized among the top awardees at the 2nd Edition of the IGAD Media Awards.
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) had received nearly 500 entries from print, digital, radio, and television.
The award winners hail from eight member states including Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda.
The Kenyan awardees at the IGAD Media Awards include Citizen TV’s Lilian Muli, veteran journalist Macharia Gaitho, Sharon Barang’a, activist Anita Soina, and Dennish Ochieng, a photojournalist.
Their recognition reflects significant contributions to journalism and media in the region.
2024 IGAD Media Awards Winners
Lillian Muli
Lilian Muli won an award in the TV category at the IGAD Media Awards alongside Henry Okurut, a senior reporter at the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC).
Muli is a communications expert with expertise in audio visual communication, broadcasting, reporting, moderation, media training, public relations, digital advertising and marketing.
She is a senior anchor and news host- Royal Media Services, a position she has held since January 2011.
Muli also worked as a news anchor and features editor at The Standard Group from January 2005 to December 2010.
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Denish Ochieng
On his part, Ochieng is an investigative photojournalist at the Standard Media Group.
He emerged as the winner of the IGAD Media Awards in the Photography category.
Denish Ochieng is an award-winning investigative photojournalist known for his fearless entry into volatile situations involving human rights abuses.
With 12 years of experience, he has been severally recognized for his groundbreaking work on eye catching photography and investigative pieces for broadcast media on KTN and Standard Newspaper.
Macharia Gaitho
Macharia Gaitho is an independent journalist, columnist, and political analyst primarily writing for Nation Media Group.
He received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the IGAD Media Awards alongside veteran journalist Mohamed Shil from Somalia.
Macharia is an untrained journalist who graduated from University of Nairobi Faculty of Architecture, Design and Development with a BA (Design) in 1983.
He worked in the area of study till 1986 then leapt into journalism as a ‘side hustle’.
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Anita Soina
Anita Soina, a climate change advocate and digital sustainability influencer, won the IGAD Media Award in the Influencer category.
Soina is a global climate change & climate justice advocate and an SDG Champion.
She is the Global Youth Champion for UN Hosted Partnerships Sanitation and Water for All.
Her organization, SpiceWarriors, is building a movement of African youth and children who are passionate about climate justice.
She’s also the founder of the Soina Foundation that helps to bridge the inequality gaps in access to quality education.
Soina is curating climate content to amplify climate stories through vlogs and TikTok content.
Sharon Barang’a
Sharon Barang’a also won an award at the IGAD gala.
Brang’a is an assistant Producer at the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC).
She won the Gender Responsive Award at the IGAD Media Awards 2024, recognizing her contributions to promoting gender equality in journalism.
The journalist is a committed and award-winning broadcast journalist with a keen eye for detail and a passion for storytelling.
With a career spanning over 8 years, Barang’a has covered a wide range of topics, from development, peace, politics and social issues to culture and technology.
Sharon previously worked at the Nation Media Group’s NTV Kenya where she covered education and children’s affairs for.
She received the Mandela Washington Fellowship, funded by the U.S. Department of State in 2017.
In 2016, she was among the winners of the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) Early Childhood Development Reporting Contest.
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