Omondi, Agina, Koigi and Wanjohi feted at EAC Media Awards 2012

Kenyans were among 7 regional journalists honored at a colourful EAC Media Awards Gala held at the Serena Hotel in Kigali, Rwanda on Thursday night.

Kenyan journalist George Omondi bagged the overall winner’s prize of EAC Secretary General’s Award. This is the second year in a row the Business Daily journalist has won the award for his outstanding covering of the East African Community. He also won the Best Political Reporter Award.

Omondi walked away with a cash reward of $4500, in addition to a certificate, iPad and Plaque handed to him by Rwandan Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Pierre Damien Habumurenyi and EAC Secretary General Amb. Dr. Richard Sezibera.

Other Kenyan journalists who were awarded include Aby Agina Wasonga (NTV) who won the Best Reporter Broadcast category, Robert Koigi (African Laughter News Agency) who took the best Agriculture & Food Security reporting Award and Wanjohi Kabukuru (Africa Business/Diplomat) who bagged the Green Award (Environment Reporting Award).

Other winners were;

1.       Dorothy Nakaweesi (Daily Monitor, Uganda) – EABC Chairman’s Award for the best entry in the Business and Financial Reporting

2.       Charles Kwizera (Kigali Today)– Best Reporter Higher Education category

3.       Zephania Ubwani  (The Citizen Uganda) – Best Reporter Health category

The Awards are organized by the East African Community Secretariat and the East African Business Council. Sponsors for the second edition were Nakumatt, Trade Mark East Africa, Inter University Council for East Africa, Ecobank, BRALIRWA, Serena Hotel and Association of Freight Forwarders.

Earlier in the day, Rwandan President Paul Kagame opened the fifth East African Business Council Media Summit, noting that the media had a critical role in shaping politics, diplomacy, and economics and called for the media to tell the region’s story with its best interests.