Photographer Using Special Technology To Design Ruto's Ksh300 Portrait

Ruto's portrait shot by Jambo has the Kenyan flag in the background – a design that mirrors a tradition adopted by American presidents since 1961.

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Sep 17, 2022 - 12:45 Updated: Sep 17, 2022 - 12:49
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Photographer Using Special Technology To Design Ruto's Ksh300 Portrait
A collage of President William Ruto's offical portrait and Ruto at the inauguration ceremony. /FILE

35-year-old renowned South Sudanese photographer Emmanuel Jambo was the man behind President William Ruto's official presidential portrait which was captured before officially being sworn in on Tuesday, September 13.

Before taking Ruto's photo, Jambo had participated in photography of other world leaders such as former US President Barack Obama and his South Sudanese counterpart Salva Kiir as well as shoots for global brands such as National Geographic and Forbes Africa.

Jambo explained in an interview with Nation FM on Thursday, September 15 that it took him only 25 minutes to take a portrait of Kenya's fifth president, which goes for a fee of Ksh300.

Ruto's portrait shot by Jambo has the Kenyan flag in the background – a design that mirrors a tradition adopted by American presidents since 1961. In a break from tradition, President Ruto becomes the first head of state in Kenya to have the flag as part of his official portrait, whose quality is also the first three-dimensional (3D) model.

Photographer Emmanuel Jambo. /INSTAGRAM

His predecessors Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, Daniel Arap Moi, Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta had a clear background in their official portraits, but Ruto has taken advantage of new technology in photography to design his.

And just like in the portraits of the past 12 presidents of the US, including Biden, Ruto’s portrait has the Kenyan flag on the right-hand side.

"He just came in fresh and in good spirit. Trust me, it took like 25 minutes, and I was done. Everything synched because we have worked together on other projects," Jambo stated.

“When we received him, we had a light moment about my dreadlocks. I joked that I had a pair of scissors in my pocket and asked if he wanted to cut my hair. Then he started laughing."

This is however not Jambo's first assignment involving a Kenyan president. He first met Ruto when he captured his official portrait, in print when Ruto was on his way to becoming former President Uhuru Kenyatta's deputy. Jambo was behind the lens when he took Uhuru's official photo in 2013.

“The opportunity is very humbling; I feel blessed and honoured. I met President Ruto through President Uhuru at the beginning of their campaign for the 2013 election. Both of them are easy to work with.

“It feels good to walk into establishments, look at the photo and realise that is my work,” he said.

Jambo moved to Kenya in 2007 and was later offered a job as Uhuru's official photographer in the former president's first term in office, a position he held briefly before resigning to focus on travel, fashion and editorial photography.  

“It is a demanding and time-consuming job. However, I still worked with State House to take photos for important events and functions such as the family Christmas portrait,” he said.

Jambo has over 28,400 followers on Instagram and also had stints as a wedding photographer for the past 13 years but he only takes up such jobs on the condition that he can interview the couple prior to committing to any project.

“As a photographer, you will end up spending the whole day with a couple on their wedding day. It is important to have and see good chemistry between the couple. That is why I have become picky with the weddings I shoot,” he said.

Jambo had also worked on a documentary for the Blind Kids of Thika with a foundation based in Atlanta US and further takes credit for popularising women's rugby in Kenya through his photography skills.

His interest in photography began within his family background, with his sister motivating him to acquire a film camera to hone his skills. 

Photographer Emmanuel Jambo and President William Ruto. /CITIZEN DIGITAL

After fully venturing into photography, he crossed paths with Oyunga Pala, who then offered him an opportunity to shoot for the then-new magazine Adam Magazine.

Jambo mentored Thandiwe Muriu, a photographer whose images were showcased at the Apple event when CEO Tim Cook unveiled the new iPad Mini in September 2021.