Kenyan journalist Rukia Bulle has won the 2024 BBC News Komla Dumor Award.
As the 10th winner of the award, Bulle works for Kenya’s Nation Media Group, specialises in human interest stories.
The 30-year-old has worked on relatable and instructive content about the journalistic life on social media, particularly TikTok, over the years.
The award was made to honour Dumor, a Ghanaian journalist and moderator for BBC World News, who dier unexpectedly at age 41 in 2014.
Before he passed away, Komla Dumor put in a lot of effort to present a more nuanced narrative of Africa to the world, highlighting his self-assurance, business acumen, and entrepreneurial spirit.
Bulle’s resilience, her capacity to deal with difficult stories, her focus on highlighting underrepresented voices, and her strong presence on air impressed the judges.
“Winning this award means a great deal to me. As a journalist, you constantly strive to do your best, regardless of recognition, so to be acknowledged on a global stage through the Komla Dumor Award is incredibly validating,” said Bulle, who appeared last year on a list of 100 Most Influential Kenyan Muslims.
“I hope this award inspires young girls like me, who wear the hijab and come from minority communities, to dream big and achieve their goals.”
The Kenyan journalist will spend three months in London working with TV, radio, and online BBC News teams.
She will also receive training and be mentored by leading BBC journalists.
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Rukia Bulle works with NTV kenya, and is also a Corporate MC and Moderator.
The acting director of the BBC World Service, Tarik Kafala, expressed his happiness at the fact that the Komla Dumor Award had helped several African journalists advance their careers.
Bulle will travel to an African nation as part of the placement to report on a story that will be broadcast to the BBC’s global audiences.
