John-Allan Namu, the co-founder of investigative media house Africa Uncensored, has been named winner of the 2024 International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) Knight International Journalism Award among three other journalists for his reporting that revealed how city police inspectors are using violence to extort bribes and a story on criminal gangs preying on residents of biggest slums in Nairobi, Kenya.
Along with Mr Namu, the other winners are Ukrainian investigative reporter Valeriya Yegoshyna for the same ICFJ Knight International Journalism Award and Rana Sabbagh, an investigative editor from Jordan, the 2024 ICFJ Knight Trailblazer Award recipient.
“These journalists stand out for their brave work exposing abuses of power, in places where it is both highly challenging and dangerous,” ICFJ President Sharon Moshavi said. “From corruption to war crimes, the outstanding journalism they have done has led to greater accountability and change.”
After Mr Namu’s win, he was congratulated by Dickens Olewe, one of ICFJ Knight Award judges and a program officer for global media partnerships at the Gates Foundation, who lauded him for his bravery while working as a journalist to uncover human rights abuses around the country and hold power to account.
“John-Allan is an extraordinary storyteller and a media innovator,” said Mr Olewe. “Undeterred by threats, he has courageously covered numerous public interest stories that have positively impacted people’s lives in Kenya and beyond. His reporting demonstrates the essence of ‘journalism as a service’ and has inspired many across the continent.”
The ICFJ Knight International Journalism Award, one of the oldest and most prestigious journalism prizes, celebrates the best public interest journalism worldwide and is open to all publishers and journalists across print, broadcast and online.
The three winners will be honoured on November 14 at the 40th Anniversary ICFJ Tribute to Journalists in Washington, D.C. Kristen Welker, the moderator of NBC News’ Meet the Press, will, for the first time, serve as emcee of the event.
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