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Nation Media Group journalist Rukia Bulle is the 2024 winner of the prestigious BBC Komla Dumor Award. The announcement was made on the BBC website Wednesday morning.
Ms Bulle is the third Kenyan to win the award since its establishment in 2015 in honour of the late Ghanaian broadcaster and BBC journalist Komla Dumor.
“The judges were impressed by Ms Rukia’s excellent skillset, resilience and ability to handle challenging stories, her focus on highlighting underrepresented voices, and her strong on-air presence,” said the BBC.
A multimedia journalist, Ms Rukia, works as a reporter for NTV and has covered a wide range of national events and news features across the country, specialising in human interest stories and news features. She also writes for www.nation.africa and the Daily Nation.
As part of the award, Ms Rukia, 26, will spend three months working with BBC News teams across television, radio and online in London, gaining valuable experience, mentorship and other opportunities. She will also travel to an African country of her choice to produce a story that will be aired on BBC News.
Former BBC journalist Komla Domur. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Komla Dumor, known for his exceptional storytelling and commitment to authentically representing and reporting on African stories, was a highly-acclaimed journalist who presented Focus on Africa on BBC World News, in addition to being one of the lead presenters for BBC World News European morning segment. He died suddenly in January 2014.
“Winning this award means a great deal to me. As a journalist, you constantly strive to do your best, regardless of recognition, so to be acknowledged on a global stage through the Komla Dumor Award is incredibly validating. I wanted to honour and contribute to Komla’s legacy in some way,” Said Ms Rukia.
“He was one of the best journalists of his generation; he epitomised the true essence of journalism: truth, accuracy, and objectivity. This award fuels my passion and motivates me to become an even better journalist. I hope this award inspires young girls like me, who wear the hijab and come from minority communities, to dream big and achieve their goals,” she added.
Ms Rukia has a degree in journalism from the United States International University (USIU). She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in International Relations at the same university.
“This is exciting news for us at NMG. Rukia has distinguished herself as the quintessential 21st-century journalist with her exceptional digital storytelling skills and a keen sense of audience preferences. This is therefore not only a timely recognition of her unique ability to leverage digital platforms for public interest journalism, but also a veritable validation of the new journalistic direction we have taken here at NMG,” said Joe Ageyo, the NMG Editor in Chief.
“She is indeed a worthy addition to the illustrious list of African journalists who have won the prestigious Komla Dumor Award. On behalf of the NMG content team I offer my hearty congratulations to Rukia and wish her the very best as she sets off for London in the coming days,” said Mr Ageyo.
Ms Rukia was in 2023 named among the top 100 Most Influential Kenyan Muslims. She has built a strong following on TikTok through her relatable and informative content on the life of a journalist.
“I am delighted that through the BBC World Service Komla Dumor Award, we nurture the careers of exceptional journalists across Africa. Previous recipients of the award have made significant contributions to public service journalism, so we are thrilled to welcome Rukia Bulle as this year’s winner and look forward to supporting her in London during her placement,” said Tarik Kafala, the acting director of the BBC World Service.
The other Kenyans who have won the award are Waihiga Mwaura (2018), now a lead presenter for Focus on Africa and Victoria Rubadiri (2020) who currently hosts the CNN International’s series, Connecting Africa.
Other previous winners are Nancy Kacungira (2015), a BBC News presenter, Solomon Serwanjja (2019), Executive Director of the African Institute for Investigative Journalism and Paa Kwesi Asare (2023), anchor at Ghanaian broadcaster TV3.
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