Tom Mboya and Evanson Nyaga Scoop 2012 CNN Multichoice Africa Journalist of The Year Award

Kenyan journalists Tom Mboya and Evanson Nyaga jointly scooped the top prize at this year’s CNN Mutlichoice Africa Journalist of the Year Awards which took place this past weekend at the Government Complex Conference Center in the Zambian capital, Lusaka.

Their winning piece, ‘African Tribe in India’, a story about a forgotten African tribe found in Southern India, was selected out of over 1,700 entries from across 42 nations on the continent.

“Journalism is a profession that allows you to go in, and then bring out what the world needs to know.  It is humbling that the Father Lord has brought us this.” said Tom as he accepted the Television Features Award category award. Evanson on the other hand said he was ‘truly humbled’ by this (the award).

“We salute the finalists and the winners of the 2012 awards. These journalists give a voice to Africa and help to make that voice heard around the world. We encourage journalists from around the African continent to continue to tell the stories of Africa – who knows, your story might be celebrated at the 2013 awards,” said Collins Khumalo, the CEO of Multichoice South Africa.

Other Kenyan winners included Citizen TV’s Waihiga Mwaura and Jepitha Mwai Mwangi for their story about the ‘Maasai Cricket Warriors’, scooping a prize in the category Sports Award. NTV Kenya’s Nimrod Taabu Mwagamoyo and Charles Kinyua Kariuki also took home a Television News Bulletin Award for their story about the ‘Pokot Water Challenges’.

Nigeria’s Enenche Akogwu and Zakariya Isa were recognized as this year’s recipients of the Free Press Africa Award, for their work in Nigeria. Zakariya, a cameraman for the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), was killed in October 2011, and Enenche, a news reporter with Channels Television, was shot and killed, having covered the Kano bomb blast in January this year.

The overall CNN MultiChoice African Journalist 2012 wins a substantial cash prize, a visit to CNN Centre in Atlanta to attend the three-week CNN Journalism Fellowship, along with the prize awarded to all category winners, which consists of a laptop computer, a printer, a Nokia 800 Lumia and an unspecified cash prize.

Have a look at the winning feature ‘African Tribe in India’ below…