Former Radio Africa Group Journalist's Work Chosen For COP 28 Event

Kathambi Faith Mutegi, a former Radio Africa Group (RAG) journalist, on Friday, November 24 expressed her excitement after one of her projects was chosen for showcasing during the upcoming 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC, more commonly referred to as COP28.

The event will be the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference and will take place between Thursday, November 30 and Tuesday, December 12 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

"Today my team and I have been notified that our first series of work on Loss and Damage in Focus: 10 Years of the Warsaw International Mechanism exhibition at COP28, commemorating 10 years of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage (WIM), has already made it's way to COP28 through the UNFCCC. 

A portrait of Kathambi Faith Mutegi, a content creator and former photojournalist. /LINKEDIN

"Allow me to give a special thanks to team Kushoto.org who gave me all the technical support I needed to travel across Kenya and shoot, my employer at Polycom Development Project for literally daring and empowering me and every grassroots girl to do even the impossible; and team Nature Footprints for pushing me effectively enough to go for this," she described on LinkedIn.

The UNFCCC showcased Mutegi's photographic work on the rising water levels of Lake Baringo, with three of them depicting residents carrying out their duties amidst the rising levels of the lake which led to the displacement of locals from their homes and taking over schools in Baringo County.

Another one captured a scenario where the rising water levels cut off a tarmacked road to Tangulbei from Marigat.

"A local resident in Baringo fetches water where a tarmac road once crossed through to Tangul­bei from Marigat. A tarmacked road to Tangulbei from Marigat cut off by the rising levels of Lake Baringo. The high levels of the lake have displaced locals from their homes and taken over schools in Baringo County in Kenya," UNFCCC described in part.

Mutegi is a Communications Consultant working with the Polycom Development Project in Kibera, within Nairobi. Born and bred in the informal grassroots, she works in the space where climate, conflict, and culture meet; focusing on how all the above affects youth and women.

An artist and storyteller from Kenya, Mutegi harnesses the power of emotive photography and prose features to inspire conversation and affect social change.

Furthermore, she has worked nationally as a peace and conflict journalist, witnessing famine and documenting resource conflict throughout several regions of Kenya.

"She also covers environmental policy events like Africa Climate Week. Though she has a particular passion for ecological issues and women’s stories, Mutegi’s professional outputs include feature news stories, opinion pieces, and documentary shorts about various issues impacting the continent of Africa originating from rural and urban informal settlements.

"As a photographer, Kathaambi has a huge bias for portraits. She can frequently be found capturing faces and the stories behind them. Most of her work focuses on women and children from communities across Kenya and Tanzania who are at the frontlines of environmental conflict. Mutegi believes that women, in particular, have a special kind of resilience which is often evident in their eyes," a statement sent to Viral Tea describes Mutegi.

She worked at Radio Africa Group (RAG) from June 2016 and December 2019 where she was a photojournalist and a writer.

Mutegi also worked as a communications assistant at the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) in 2018.

In 2020, she joined Kushoto.org as a strategic communications consultant, where she has been since. 

A photo showing the rising levels of Lake Baringo. /FAITH KATHAMBI MUTEGI