Meet Kenya's Top Photographer

Thomas Mukoya, crowned the 2013 Kenya Photography Awards (KPA) Photographer of the Year, is back in the country to collect his awards from the KPA secretariat at Pawa 254 in Nairobi, Kenya.

'I'm so proud to be the winner of the first edition of the (Kenya Photography Awards) competition,' Thomas said. 'It's through such competitions that the quality of photography in Kenya is going to improve.'

When asked about his thoughts on the photography industry in the future, the KPA overall winner remarked that it's through photo competitions, photo books and exhibitions, that a proper legacy can be laid for upcoming photographers.
With the award, Thomas receives Kshs. 200,000 in prize money for the overall prize, as well as Kshs. 100,000 for scooping top honors in the 'Sports' category and Kshs. 25,000 for placing second in the 'Daily Life' category.
In addition, the Kenya Photographer of the year receives an Epson 1420 printer from Epson, a Canon VIXIA HG20 HD Video Camcorder from the Kenya ICT Board, an ultraHD flipcam from Cisco and one year membership with the Photographer's Association of Kenya (P.A.K).'I urge other photographers in Kenya to shoot more and improve on the quality of their photos, or I'll be taking the next (award) as well,' Mr. Mukoye commented.

The Kenya Photography Awards gala night took place on 26th November 2013 at the Kenyatta International Convention Center in Nairobi, bringing together 50 nominees, among them the Swiss ambassador Jacques Pitteloud (who were the main sponsors for this year's awards), distinguished guests and the Chief Justice of Kenya, Dr. Willy Mutunga, who was the guest of honour, to recognise and celebrate the growing photography industry in the country.
Thomas Mukoya is a Nairobi-based Kenyan photojournalist who has worked with Thomson Reuters, the world’s largest international news agency, since 2004 and is the President of the Photojournalist’s Association of Kenya (PAK).

Thomas has traveled widely across Africa covering breaking news and feature stories from Kenya, Somalia, Congo, Sudan, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Comoros, Djibouti, Malawi and the “2010 Fifa World Cup” in South Africa and the “Walk to Independence” in South Sudan. His last major assignment was documenting the Drought and Famine story in the Horn of Africa in 2011. Thomas covered the African Cup of Nations 2012 tournament in Libreville Gabon.

After graduating with a Diploma in Journalism from the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication, Thomas began his photojournalism career at The People Daily Newspaper in 2002, and joined The Nation Media Group (the largest media group in East and Central Africa) in 2004. He won the 2010 Photographers Giving Back (PGB) award and the 2003 Photojournalist of the year award organized by the Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ).
Thomas has worked extensively with humanitarian organizations in the as a photographer including MSF, UNICEF, ICRC, UNHCR, and Australia for UNHCR.