Royal Media Services shines at 2026 Media Excellence Awards

Royal Media Services walked away with multiple awards at the 2026 Annual Media Excellence Awards by the Media Council of Kenya, honouring stories that held power to account, gave voice to the voiceless, and reminded us why facts still matter.

From the hard facts in news, economy, health and development to the action in sports and entertainment, these are the stories you watched, shared and debated and featured at the 2026 Annual Media Excellence Awards hosted by the Media Council of Kenya.

Royal Media Services towered as a media giant, bagging several awards.

Leading the list of winners was Royal Media Services Managing Director Wachira Waruru, who bagged the Lifetime Achievement Award for his role in shaping the media industry in Africa.

Round the clock, you chose our bulletins from radio to television. You watched as we broke stories in a language you understand, making Citizen TV the most-watched bulletin and Citizen Radio the Most Listened-to Radio Bulletin.

News Gang emerged victorious in the Media Freedom category, winning the award for its panel of seasoned journalists and editors who dissect, critique and provide deep-dive analysis on the most pressing political, social and economic issues shaping Kenya.

Sema na Citizen took the coveted award for Best Civic Engagement Programme.

The Swahili mid-morning programme puts into perspective current affairs and developing stories nationally and across the counties in the simplest way possible.

Then, the Videographer of the Year award went to Hebron Kinyoda for his unmatched skills in visual storytelling. Behind the scenes, he captured the impact of the stories we told.

This was indeed a true reflection of journalism that truly matters.

Other journalists who stood out included Evans Asiba, first runner-up in the Animal Welfare Reporting Award; Jeffrey Obonyo, second runner-up in the Digital Economy and Innovation Reporting category; and Paul Nyambura, second runner-up in the Sports category.

Willow Health Media journalist Christopher Kipsang was named Journalist of the Year.

The awards are a continuous annual celebration of journalistic excellence and achievement.