Hyenas and headlines: AJEA 2025 spotlights grit and guts of Kenyan storytelling

The 2025 Annual Journalism Excellence Awards (AJEA), held in Nairobi, did more than hand out honours—it reminded the country of the courage, sacrifice, and soul behind Kenya’s best journalism.

The night’s most powerful moment came when Standard Group’s Jocelyn Ngatambu was declared Videographer of the Year for her fearless feature, Man Eaters of Juja. The story, which shed light on families in Juja who lost loved ones to hyena attacks, brought a chilling but vital conversation to the national stage—human-wildlife conflict in areas rapidly losing ecological boundaries. With poignant interviews and immersive visuals, Ngatambu’s work captured both the grief and resilience of affected communities.

Then came a surprise announcement that moved the audience even further.

Kenya Editors’ Guild President Zubeida Kananu, while congratulating Ngatambu, shared that the humble journalist had just come from the maternity ward, having recently given birth. It was a moment of double joy—personal and professional—that earned a long, emotional ovation from the crowd.

As Ngatambu was celebrated for capturing the raw fears on the edge of Juja, Brygettes Ngana, Nakuru Bureau Chief at Nation Media Group, was named Journalist of the Year. Her powerful feature, Behind the Byline, aired on NTV, also won in the Health and Substance Abuse Reporting category.

Ngana’s story turned the camera inward, revealing the mental health struggles faced by journalists in silence—trauma, burnout, anxiety, and depression. Her empathetic and unflinching approach opened a vital conversation in newsrooms nationwide. She graciously credited her cameraman, Sam Doe, for helping bring the story’s emotional depth to life.

Together, Ngatambu and Ngana stood as pillars of a new kind of journalism—one that is bold enough to face danger, and brave enough to reveal vulnerability.