Veteran news anchor, Catherine Kasavuli, and Citizen TV journalist, Waihiga Mwaura, were among the journalists awarded during the 2022 Annual Journalism Excellence Awards (AJEA) held in Nairobi on Friday, May 6.
At the awards organised by the Media Council of Kenya (MCK), Kasavuli was inducted to the Lifetime Achievement award for her remarkable career over the years.
Other veteran journalists inducted into the lifetime award alongside Kasavuli include Mutegi Njau and Racheal Nakitare of the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC).
On the other end, Waihiga Mwaura was awarded as the best journalist in the Business and Vision Reporting category for his story Debt of Shame aired in 2021.
In the coverage, Mwaura investigated rogue ways digital lenders use when collecting debts from Kenyans.
Naipanoi Lepapa of The Elephant was crowned the Journalist of the Year in recognition of her investigative articles at the outlet.
Other journalists who bagged awards were veteran broadcaster Alex Chamwada who was feted for his special coverage of President Uhuru Kenyatta's Big Four Agenda in his Daring Abroad production.
Citizen TV's investigative reporter, Purity Mwambia, was also recognised at the event as she bagged the Investigative Reporting Award for her Guns Galore piece.
Mwambia's investigative piece in 2021 caused an uproar on social media as she exposed how rouge cops were renting firearms to criminal gangs within Nairobi.
The uproar forced the government to intervene even as the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) boss, George Kinoti, issued a statement promising investigations into the matter.
AJEA was started in 2012 and recognises journalists for their exemplary works across various fields such as sports, and business among others.
"One key objective of the award is to identify, celebrate and maintain ethics and excellence in journalism, uphold democracy, integrity, and accountability in society. and the media industry in general," stated MCK in the establishment statement.
