Paul Kelemba, from Kenya, has been awarded GE Energy & Infrastructure Award, presented by Jay Ireland, President and CEO of GE Africa, at this year’s CNN Multichoice African Journalist 2015 Awards ceremony. Kelemba, who works freelance for The Standard on Saturday, won for his piece “Sorting out Nairobi Transport” which was chosen from entries spanning 39 nations across the African continent.
The Awards, which rotate location each year in tribute to their pan-African credentials, were held at a Gala ceremony hosted by CNN and Multichoice at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, in Nairobi.
The judging panel said: “It is the first time we have awarded a piece of graphic journalism. Infrastructure is an important topic but it is very a difficult story to make interesting and Paul Kelemba has succeeded. He used a full-page graphic in the Saturday edition of the Standard to paint a scenario of how Nairobi’s epic transport problems could be solved. Maddo, as Kelembe is known, included trams, subways, buses and pedestrianised areas to illustrate the various transport options facing one of Africa’s leading cities. The graphic is deeply humorous as he pokes gentle fun at his fellow Nairobians and the people who run the city. A popular winner, we hope that by showcasing graphic journalism, more young artists will turn their attention to using their craft for this exciting new form of journalism.”
The Director of Communications for GE Africa Patricia Obozuwa said “journalists play a vital role in setting the right policy agenda for respective governments all over the world by their journalistic work. Paul Kelemba’s award winning entry is a typical example of the power of journalism to redirect public focus on the topical issues. We are glad to be associated with the Energy and Infrastructure category of the CNN Awards. By their respective entries in this category, journalists are certainly helping to highlight infrastructural issues that sometimes become a call-to-action for stakeholders and governments”.
Tim Jacobs, CEO Multichoice Africa, said: “Congratulations to all the winners, your words and images reflect the reality of our world and attest to the important role the media plays in Africa’s development. As a good corporate citizen, together with our partner, CNN and other sponsors we will continue to invest in the CNN Multichoice African Journalist Awards to ensure increased development and advancement of outstanding journalism across the continent.”
