On the night Africa's journalism community gathered to honour the best in the business, the Aga Khan University Graduate School of Media and Communications (AKU GSMC) had reason to celebrate. Students and alumni were honoured at the 14th Annual Media Excellence Awards (AMEA 2026) for journalism that is helping audiences understand, question, and engage with some of the most important issues shaping society today.
The AMEA, organised by the Media Council of Kenya, recognises journalists who serve as watchdogs, challenge power, and drive innovation in the media. Now in its 14th edition, the awards are an annual celebration of journalistic excellence.
Among the winners was Mercie Tyra, a Master of Arts in Digital Journalism (MADJ) alumna, who won in the Financial and Business Reporting category. Her winning feature, When a body part becomes a policy, explored the niche insurance market where human capabilities and body parts are insured as valuable assets, shedding light on a little-known area of financial reporting.
Ruth Sarmwei, who trained at GSMC through the Nation Media Lab, won in the Governance and Development category for Blood Gold, an investigative story examining tensions that emerged after large scale mining corporations declared interest in an area traditionally dominated by artisanal gold mining.
The Media Freedom category honoured Citizen TV's News Gang, a show that has built a reputation for tackling difficult national conversations around governance, accountability, and the state of the media in Kenya. The recognised team included GSMC alumni Yvonne Okwara, Jamila Mohamed, and Sam Gituku, alongside student Joseph Bonyo, all from the Executive Masters in Media Leadership and Innovation (EMMLI) programme.
For Jamila Mohamed, the recognition spoke to something larger than the award itself. "This recognition is both humbling and deeply meaningful because it speaks to the importance of journalism that holds power to account and creates space for difficult but necessary national conversations," she said. "GSMC strengthened my understanding of ethical leadership, critical thinking, and the responsibility the media carries in democratic societies. It challenged me to think beyond headlines and approach national conversations with greater depth, context, and empathy."
"News Gang was created to ask difficult questions, challenge power where necessary, and help audiences make sense of complex issues," said Yvonne Okwara. "Receiving this recognition from the Media Council of Kenya is deeply humbling and especially meaningful as an alumna of Aga Khan University, where the values of integrity, public service, and excellence in journalism were deeply instilled in me."
The awards also recognised several GSMC nominees across different reporting categories. These included Asha Bekidusa, a MADJ alumna, nominated in the Agriculture and Food Security category; Gardy Chacha, a MADJ student nominated in the Environmental Restoration, Blue Economy and Climate Change Reporting category; and Chrystal Onkeo, a MADJ alumna, nominated in the Health Reporting category.
Long after the trophies are shelved, what remains are the stories, the conversations and the reports that made complex issues legible to the people they affected. That is the GSMC community's legacy at the 14th AMEA.
