Kenya’s Zuri Awards – the 2019 edition promises to be bigger and better!

The annual prestigious awards for phenomenal women in Kenya -Zuri Awards are back bigger and better.

Zuri Awards is a platform that has been in existence since 2016 and it seeks to recognize and celebrate outstanding women in line with the International Women’s Day theme #BalanceforBetter.  There will be a Gala Dinner on the 7th March 2019 at Villa Rosa Kempinski and will be graced by the CS for Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs, Prof Margaret Kobia.

Zuri Awards seeks to recognize and fete exceptional women and organisations doing outstanding work in their communities. The awards were curated by Go Gaga Experiential Ltd and are sponsored by Barclays Bank of Kenya, Safaricom, KCB and Sochin Agency.

This year’s nomination slots have moved from 4 to 15 to enable more women playing key roles in changing the society in various capacity and sectors are recognised for their works and achievements.

The past honorees include Buya Mukonzo – 2017 My Little Big Thing Winner, Fatuma Abdikadir Adan – HODI took a team to World Cup 2018 in Russia, Dr. Chao Mbogo – Founder of KamiLimu & 2018 Face of Science Kenya. Caroline Wanjiku of HELD Sister Foundation & Umulkheir Mohammed founder of Kesho Alliance are among the women participating on the ongoing Ms. President Reality show.

Speaking about the upcoming awards ceremony, the director at Go Gaga Experiential Muthoni Mumo said, “Due to the consistent growth of Zuri Awards and consultations, we have increased the nomination slots from 4 to 15 showcasing more women making a difference in the various segments of the market.”

She adds, “This will be a game changer and will inspire other women to work extra hard, be innovative and creative in their respective fields.”

This year’s categories include:

• STEM(Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics)
• Agriculture
• Health Care
• Renewable Energy
• Humanitarian
• Innovation
• Young Achiever
• Sports
• Public Service
• Arts and Culture
• Media
• Finance
• Manufacturing
• Education
• Business

Zuri Awards has attracted some of the most prolific individuals in the society in the previous years.  Some of the past honorees are currently doing it big, two of them are currently on the recently launched Ms. President Reality show.  The nominations are largely based on individuals who are running projects that have an impact on women’s livelihoods, taken risks to change existing social and/or cultural norms and those who continue to stand up for what the individual or organization believes in.

This year’s awards will be judged by a panel of experienced jurors from various fields and will include Zuhura Ogada –Communication and Media Expert, Wavi Muigai – Head of Corporate Communication & Customer Experience at the Higher Education Loans Board, Samuel Mburu Mwangi – Telecommunications Engineer, Patience Nyange – Media, Communications and Public Relations Consultant, Felix Kipkosgei – Lead/Senior VAS and IT services planning engineer by profession, Lilyanne Ndinda – Women Rights Programme Officer at Oxfam in Kenya, Ms. Jane Gitau – Communications Consultant and a Lecturer, St Paul’s University, Ms. Wangechi Muriuki – Country Manager, Invest in Africa and Dr. Julius Weche Founder and CEO Akad Education Group- Africa

EDITORS’ NOTES:

Established in 2017, Zuri Awards is an annual celebration of women and organizations who are bringing change through their work in their community. The awards are the brainchild of Go Gaga Experiential Ltd also running Digital Media Awards (DMA) and Social Media Week – Nairobi (SMWNairobi).

The platform continues to recognize individuals making an impact in regards to women and girls in their communities and it is in line with the theme for International Women’s Day #BalanceforBetter.