Nation Journalist Wins Award Two Years After Joining From University

Nation Media Group (NMG) business reporter, Edna Mwenda bagged the ‘30 under 30’ award among five journalists in a contest organised by the International News Media Association (INMA).

Mwenda, who reports for NMG's subsidiary newspaper, Business Daily, emerged top in the newsroom category of the awards.

She was feted alongside peers such as Johannes Andersen of Denmark-based Politiken media firm and Cwayita Nondula from the Africa Community Media based in South Africa.

Other winners are Elyse Popplewell of News Corp in Australia and Nicola Wenz of German-based ZDF Media.

Edna Mwenda, Nation Media Group journalist pictured on August 6, 2023, along Kenyatta street, Nairobi. /NATION MEDIA GROUP

In an interview with Business Daily, Mwenda lauded the achievement as a big win for both herself and the regional media house.

“I’m deeply honoured to be among the top 30 under 30 winners of the INMA Awards. Since this is a global award, I can only imagine the number of applicants that took the shot at the contest,” she remarked on Thursday, September 7.

The International News Media Association (INMA) is the world's leading provider of global best practices for news media companies looking to grow revenue, audience, and brand amid profound market change.

INMA members are executives at the world's leading news media companies, currently boasting more than 16,000 members at nearly 900 media companies in 70+ countries. Members are typically C-level executives involved in leadership and executive management, advertising, audience, digital, marketing, product development, and research.

Presented since 1937, the INMA Global Media Awards rewards innovation and best practices on news brands, optimising the use of media platforms, subscriptions, advertising, data and insights, products, and newsrooms.

The competition evaluates news media companies across three segments: national brands, regional brands, and media groups.

Some benefits the winners will draw include membership to the community of global media innovators and a scholarship to a master class in a field of the beneficiary’s choice, which Mwenda stated will aid in her professional growth.

Mwenda is an actuarial science graduate from Dedan Kimathi University of Technology.

She began her career at the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) as a claims analyst/underwriter in 2018, working in the claims and benefits department where she applied her actuarial science skills.

She then worked as a data and security analyst in 2020 for one year before joining NMG through the company’s Media Lab training programme in 2021.

Mwenda's latest feat comes during the silent rise of Kenya's Generation Z journalists including prolific ones such as Flora Limukii of TV47 as Kenyan media undergoes a rapid shift to the digital age.