This archive report was first published on 14 October 2021.
Citizen TV Anchor Mashirima Kapombe Wins 2021 African Journalists Gender Equality Award ¶
On October 13, 2021, Mashirima Kapombe, a news anchor at Citizen TV, won the 2021 African Journalists Gender Equality Award for her story 'Halfway Haven'. The award aims to highlight the work of African journalists in advancing gender equality and transforming the world towards a more just, equal, and healthy planet.
Speaking to kenyans.co.ke, Kapombe revealed the intricate details of how she came up with her award-winning story. She noted that she started working on the story in February 2021, and it took a few months to get it together, airing in the week of May 2021.
According to Kapombe, the story faced numerous challenges, including a scheduled release date that was postponed due to the announcement of Martha Koome as the Chief Justice. The news anchor highlighted that the story came up after interviewing a woman who was in an abusive relationship and learning that there were shelters for Gender-Based Violence Victims (GBV) in the country.
She noted that she was happy to see that some of the women who had gone through SGBV and found shelter at the rescue shelters had made something out of themselves, were empowered, and were able to leave the shelter and start a new life.
While working on the story, Kapombe and her team faced numerous challenges, including getting the women to open up about their experiences. She stated that she urged the women to tell their stories in order to raise awareness about the shelters in the country and to push the government to set up and fully functional shelters.
Another challenge she faced was from the founder of the shelter, who was initially unwilling to allow them to do the story. However, after some time, she was convinced that the story could bring about change and action.
After the story aired, the founder of the shelter was approached by government stakeholders who wanted to sit down with her to see how she had been running the shelter. Kapombe noted that she was thankful to the entire team that made the story a success, including her video editor, Mamuo Achimba, who was instrumental in editing the story.
