​​Soraiya Shah is the Senior Manager for the Graduate School of Media and Communications (GSMC) at Aga Khan University (AKU). With a BJourn from Rhodes University & USIU, and a PGDip (Hons) from the Sol Plaatje Institute of Rhodes University, Soraiya has worked as a radio presenter, political communications manager and has held a variety of senior marketing roles both in the hospitality and public sector. Prior to joining the GSMC, Soraiya was the Programmes Manager and then the interim Director for AKU’s East Africa Institute. Prior to joining AKU, she owned and operated a consultancy firm specialising in communications & media strategy for corporates and political parties.​

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​Mwakesi Mwakale is the Senior Project Editor for the EU Stories of Hope Project for its ​Implementing Partner - the Graduate School of Media and Communications (GSMC) at Aga Khan University (AKU). ​He freelances in the Film and Documentary industry and takes on a wide range of projects. He has contributed his storytelling expertise to global news platforms and award-winning films. He graduated with a B.A. in Communications at St. Paul's University.

Field Journalists

 Laura Otieno is a Kenyan journalist and a Citizen News Reporter with a portfolio of supervising editorial operations in 6 counties. She previously worked at the Moi University radio as a radio producer and presenter for 3 years. Laura has a keen interest in telling stories around health, governance, social justice and environmental issues. She is also an IWMF fellow. Laura’s work has been published and is available online and on Video on Demand platforms such as Viusasa. With a Bachelors in Media Science, she focuses much of her research, writing and reports on technology, human rights, education, climate change environmental sustainability, food security, sustainable agriculture, and gender equality. In 2020, Laura was elected as the regional chapter leader for MESHA.

Betty Luke is a Kenyan Senior Journalist at The Press Point where she doubles as a writer and photographer. Passionate about women and marginalized groups, Betty believes anything is achievable in life as long as there is determination and endurance. She has previously worked in Meru and Isiolo counties and was for news and feature production and radio shows. Her human-interest feature stories while as a freelance journalist found way to national news platforms earning her accolades from local and renowned writers. She participated in joint of stories with several journalists in Isiolo that entailed collecting, editing and dissemination of well-edited stories for print and broadcast platforms. Betty is currently working on series of stories of little-known Isiolo women and youths from minority communities seeking elective seats in the August elections under PowerToPowerless hashtag. She graduated from Multimedia University

 Tusiime Tut​u is a Ugandan writer, blogger, social media enthusiast, MDD trainer and poet. With a BJourn and Comms from Makekere University, she believes there is never an end to learning and employs her passion in various social issues to tell stories, educate her community and make a positive impact. Her work has been published in Digital Human Rights, Andariya Magazine, and her blog.

 As a seasoned Kenyan Journalist, Zainab Mohamed Abdi has spent the past 4 to 5 years giving voice to the voiceless. She has covered a wide array of reporting beats from business & agricultural news to current affairs and most recently health & science reporting. Zainab holds a Bachelors in Journ and Comms from Mount Kenya UNiversity. Her work has been published on the TV47, Swiss Entrepreneurs Magazine, KTN news, KNHCR, CGBTN, KRA and KBC. Through her innovative and unique approach to storytelling, Zainab puts a human face in all her news items. Away from work Zainab enjoys socialising with friends, travel/ adventure and reading books.

Wesley Lang’at is a Freelance Journalist for Thomson Reuters Foundation based in Nairobi Kenya. He is passionately covering climate change, environment and agriculture in East and Horn of Africa. Wesley is an award-winning print and radio Journalist for the First 2022 Africa D4D Journalism Competition for the European Union & African Union Project, this is for his continuous coverage of how digital technology help farmers to overcome Covid-19 pandemic and climate change. Wesley has written articles for several international media outlets including ClimateHomeNews, The Epoch Times and Italian InsideOver formerly Gli Occhi della Guerra among others. His dedication for storytelling, he has helped and mentor journalists from community media to tell Covid-19 stories during the global pandemic. He has participated in a lot of training including Restoring Africa’s Dryland Journalism Fellowship and the Climate Tracker sustainable food fellowship. Langat is a member of Clean Energy Wire and graduated from Kenya Institute of Mass Communication.

​​​Christine Awor is a Journalist passionate about reporting issues affecting people living in a fragile context. Based in Uganda, she works as an anchor at 94.3QM and Human Rights Defender skilled in news writing, camera operation, mobile journalism, and conversant with multimedia production and has a strong professional code of conduct. She has received training on Radio feature production and Mobile journalism by Media Challenge Initiative, on Podcast production and Journalists' safety online by Ultimate Media, on Project management, monitoring and evaluation by Uganda Epicopal conference, on Health Reporting by Conrafe Adeneur Shitung and on Safety by Uganda Human Rights Network for Journalist. She holds a Bachelors in Journalism and Comms from Makerere University. Her dream is to be a successful journalist who defies all odds in a predominant society full of gender stereotypes.​

 Leonard Mukooli is a Ugandan Freelance Writer and Multimedia Journalist working with TV East one of the amalgamates of Vision Group Media company. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in of Mass Communication from Islamic University in Uganda. Mukooli started writing for the national newspaper in 2014 as an intern later, as a Freelance Reporter based in Easter Uganda. He worked with Nation Media Group, a media company that amalgamates Daily Monitor publication, Kfm, Dembe Fm, NTV Uganda and Spark TV. And wrote and published over 1000 news articles and photographs in the East Africa region. He is also a Freelance Researcher, Photographer, Videographer, Designer and is mainly commissioned by NGOs. Mukooli is a hiker and with bias in hiphop, reggae and local Ugandan old skool known as kadogo kamu.​

 Juliet Kasirye is a Freelance Multimedia Specialist working with the New Vision newspaper in Uganda. With over 8 years of experience in communications and journalism and a proven track record, Juliet believes in going the extra mile to capture stories. She holds a Bachelor in Public Relations Management from Ndejje University and has provided story and photography support for USAID-run projects on Improved Nutrition. She is a creative, innovative, result-oriented, customer-sensitive, and self-motivated individual.

 Mercy Chelangat is a Multimedia Journalist based in Kenya who is currently working for the Daily Nation as a features writer, mainly covering human interest stories. She has a Bachelor's Degree from Maasai Mara University and has trained under Nation Media Lab conducted at Aga Khan University Graduate School of Media and Communications. She has previously worked at Radio Light and Life Limited and Radio Citizen as a host and news reporter respectively. She is honest to the bone, an avid reader and an aspiring author.

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 Geofrey Mutegeki Araali is an Award-winning Journalist who believes in journalism that advances society and giving back through storytelling, mentoring the next generation of journalists. Based in Uganda, he has been a Multimedia Journalist at New Vision since 2013 and his work has been published in the Daily Monitor. He holds a Bachelor's Journalism and Comms. from Uganda Pentecostal University and received further training in photography and computer networking. Over the years, he has been positively contributing to various causes such as access to education, increased access to education, especially vocational education through various stories he has written.

Wesibade Halima is a passionate Ugandan Journalist with a vision to impact lives through media. She has eight years of experience in sound, video and audio production and has worked with Uganda Broadcasting Corporation(UBC), NEGAD Media Agency, and Media Plus (u)Ltd. She is a freelance journalist attached to NBS tv Uganda.

Ruth Atim is a Ugandan Journalist passionate about Media, Gender and Tech She has worked for both broadcast and online media and currently works as a sub-editor for an online News Media that covers refugees' situation and migration. She is also a Women In News (WIN fellow). In 2019, Ruth was shortlisted as a finalist in the Isu Elihle awards, a South African Media award that rewards innovative journalism about children. She also Co-Founded the Gender Tech initiative-Uganda, a not-for-profit organisation that empowers women (mostly journalists) with digital security and Digital literacy skills.

Faith Moffin Opilio is a Kenyan Multimedia Journalist with an urge to influence the world through the power of information. As a multimedia journalist, her work cuts across in the areas of: broadcast and print journalism, creative writing, multimedia storytelling, media management and communications. Besides being involved in a number of successful journalistic projects, locally and internationally, Moffin has worked with Kenya News Agency (KNA) and K24 as a news reporter. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism from Multimedia University of Kenya.

 Waridi Ajambo is a Kenyan Creative Writer and Community Manager currently with Travelog Africa. She also has experience with advertising agencies as a copy writer who has worked on different projects. She has a bias on lifestyle projects that highlight different people at their best with resilience. She has worked with different organisations to highlight stories such as a youth group in Marsabit county who were making improved jikos to diversify their income stream. She has written for property show with Nancy, Standard Media Group, CEO Africa, Obaa Woman, Travelog and Go Places Magazine. She enjoys reading , travelling and eating out.
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Wabomba Joseph Martin is a seasoned Ugandan radio presenter with the knack of understanding what his audience wants and uses this medium to inform on global events shaping our world from both local and international perspectives. With over 10 years of radio experience, he brings specialised news reporting, editing, anchoring and storytelling, and mentors the next generation of journalists'

Boaz Namanya is a Journalist, Public Relations Practitioner and Blogger who believes that good journalism can make our world a better place. Based in Uganda, he works at Freedom Radio and has previously worked with Kinkiizi FM and later Peak FM radio.. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication and has received further training from Yali Network. Boaz is especially interested in covering agriculture, politics, education, human rights, crime, environment and business.
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Elizabeth Ngigi is a Kenyan Entertainment Journalist for Radio Africa Group with a thirst for new challenges. She holds a Diploma in Journ and Media Studies from NIBS Technical College. Her work has been published in the Star newspaper and Mpasho news website. She has edited radio audios for Radio Jambo, Classic 105 and Kiss 100 FM. In 2019, she received a certificate of recognition as the best entertainment journalist.

 Mourice Seretta is a Kenyan Trained Journalist with experience spanning more than a decade having worked in TV, Radio and Print media. He is currently a News Sub-Editor at The Times, a weekly newspaper with circulation across the country. Mourice is passionate not only in writing and editing news/feature stories but he writes stories that inform and at the same time educate the masses. He has a strong ambition to leave an indelible mark in the field of journalism when he finally hangs his boots. His most impressive and relevant achievement is rising from a mere Intern at Mediastream Limited, a media that used to house 1FM, 2FM and Hits FM Radio Stations to be the Head of News due to his hard-working nature and resilience.

​Project Trainers

 Catherine Gicheru is an International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) Knight Fellow currently spearheading the Africa Women Journalism Project which is driving the coverage of underreported gender, health and development issues affecting marginalized groups and strengthening the voices of women journalists by helping them to become innovators in their newsrooms. She was the pan-African lead with Code for Africa’s Academy and Communities programme. A veteran journalist with two of the leading media organisations in the region, Catherine co-founded East Africa’s first budget and public finance fact checking and verification initiative, PesaCheck. She is a Nieman Fellow, a Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism Fellow and an IWMF Courage in Journalism award winner.

Verah Okeyo is an award-winning global health reporter and editor with ten years of experience in mainstream media in East and Central Africa. She is also a media trainer who has partnered with organisations such as the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the Agakhan Graduate School of Media and the Training Centre in Communication. Verah was the founding editor of Diversity Equity and Inclusion desk at Nation Media Group, East and Central Africa, and has attracted major grants from Microsoft, Google and Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting. She holds a BA in Media Communication and Technology with IT with a minor in Creative and Performing arts from Kenya’s Maseno University and a MSC in global media and communications from the London School of Economics and Political Science in the United Kingdom. Verah other postgraduate diplomas in education and Bible and Christian theology Together with her godmother Dorothy, she runs the Okeyo Foundation which educates orphaned children up to secondary schools in Nyanza in Kenya. She tweets as @iamverahokeyo

 Yegon Emmanuel is a Multimedia Storyteller and the Co-Founder and Communications Director at Mobile Journalism Africa. He is a Mobile Journalism trainer and digital Communications consultant. He has trained young journalists from across Africa on mobile journalism, has worked with the US Embassy Nairobi in Training American corner staff on social media and mobile storytelling, worked with UNDP Kenya in training their Amkeni Wakenya partners on smartphone storytelling. Also worked with Groots Kenya, Media Focus on Africa, Code For Africa in smartphone storytelling and training their staff. He has worked with different brands and media personalities in managing and running their digital platforms; Yegon has written an Award-winning animation film- Tishala, a story based on the need to end Female Genital Mutilation. Tishala was among the three winners in UN Women’s Generation Equality Film Festival in Mexico, April 2021. He also worked on a Mobile Film, NUMB on postpartum depression which earned jury mention here in Kenya and a screening in Rwanda in 2019. Yegon trained the first cohort of mobile journalists to join Newsrooms in Kenya under the Aga Khan University, GSMC and Facebook program. He is currently co-developing curriculum on constructive journalism with DW – Akadamie.

 Faith Oneya is a prolific creative writer and editor, currently with Nation Media Group, Kenya, where she has worked for the last eight years. She has a decade-long experience in market research and is also a trainer on an array of topics, including media relations, content management, communications, storytelling techniques, opinion writing, change management, among others. Her short stories have been featured in several anthologies, the latest being Nairobi Noir (2020) which also featured the works of Prof Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Peter Kimani, Kinyanjui Kombani, Makena Onjerika, among others. Her children’s book, The Girl with a Big Heart (2018), was approved for use as a class reader by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development. Faith holds a MA in Digital Journalism from Aga Khan University-Kenya and a MA in Comms Studies from University of Nairobi-Kenya. She also holds a B.Ed in English & Lit from University of Nairobi, Kenya. She has a Certificate in Online Journalism from the Radio Netherlands Training Centre in the Netherlands. She holds a Media Management Certificate from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. She’s also a certified life coach with the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and currently serves as the Kenyan coach in the Women in News Leadership Accelerator Programme, run by the World Association on Newspapers (WANIFRA).

 Judie Kaberia is a multiple-award-winning journalist is the Executive Director of the Association of Media Women in Kenya (AMWIK). With over 16 years of experience in journalism, Judie is deeply passionate about public policy, healthcare, human rights, transitional justice and gender equality. She is a 2015 fellow of the prestigious Edward R. Murrow programme for Journalists (Washington DC) and a fellow of the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime (Austria). She is a mentor of the U.S Embassy, Kenya mentorship program for upcoming female journalists, a consultant media trainer with the Media Council of Kenya, Wayamo Foundation - Germany and the Aga Khan Graduate School of Media and Communications. A holder of a Master’s Degree in New Media, Governance and Democracy from the University of Leicester (U.K), Judie chairs the Africa Check Foundation board in Kenya. She is an author of a booklet: ‘Justice and Peace in the Kenyan Eye’ through the sponsorship of the German Embassy in Kenya.

 Eric Mugendi is the program manager for Sub-Saharan Africa at Meedan, a software development startup that builds tools for journalists and human rights organizations. In this role, Eric coordinates Meedan's work and partnerships in the region, supporting journalists, newsrooms and civil society organizations in their work to make Africa a more informed and better understood place. He was previously the managing editor at PesaCheck, East Africa's first public finance faft-checking initiative. Eric has written for The EastAfrican, and his work has been featured in El País, BBC, Al Jazeera and the Mail & Guardian. He is a graduate of the Bloomberg Media Initiative for Africa's financial journalism programme.

 Moses Kemibaro is the Founder & CEO of Dotsavvy Kenya's first digital business agency. Previously, he was Sales Director at Opera Ads, The Perform Group, and InMobi. He was also Founding Regional Manager at Dealfish East Africa which became OLX Kenya and is now known as Jiji Kenya. Moses is a multiple award-winning echBlogger and Analyst at MosesKemibaro.com where he rants and raves about all things digital in Kenya and Africa. He is also a regular speaker, moderator and panelist at technology and media event as well as a seasoned digital marketing trainer.

 Musinguzi Blanshe holds a Master of Science in Data Journalism, from Columbia Journalism School. His journalistic work has featured in The New York Times, The Africa Report, Rest of World, Pulitzer Center and many other publications. In the lead up and after January 2021 presidential elections in Uganda, Musinguzi led a team of journalists at Uganda Radio Network, a multi-media news agency in Kampala in telling insightful data driven stories from election data.