Kenyan Journalist Wins International Energy Reporting Award

Last Updated 2 hours ago by Kenya Engineer

Kenyan journalist Pauline Ongaji Ogada has won an international award for energy journalism, earning recognition for a story published through Canadian climate and energy publications Corporate Knights and The Energy Mix.

Ongaji won the Best Article on Energy Originating from Abroad category at the 2026 Energy of Words International Media Contest, organised by the Global Energy Association. The competition attracted 257 entries from 40 countries, with the winners announced during Russian Energy Week in Moscow.

The award recognises reporting on a sector that increasingly shapes economic development, industrial competitiveness and the cost of living. Energy journalism requires reporters to interpret technical developments, investment decisions and policy changes in ways that help the public understand their implications.

Ongaji works as an Energy and Health Writer at Big3Africa, where she contributes original reporting on energy and health issues. She joined the publication in early 2026, according to the organisation’s announcement of her award.

The Energy of Words contest is organised by the Global Energy Association to recognise work covering developments and trends in the global energy sector. Its published rules provide for expert assessment of entries based on relevance, originality, substance and factual accuracy, followed by a final jury selection.

For African journalists covering energy, such recognition offers an opportunity to bring reporting from the continent into wider international discussions. Africa’s energy challenges span electricity access, infrastructure financing, renewable energy deployment, grid reliability and the relationship between energy supply and economic growth.

The award also highlights the value of specialist journalism in a field where technical accuracy and clear communication are essential to public understanding.

Ongaji’s achievement places a Kenyan journalist among the recognised contributors to international energy reporting and underscores the contribution of African media professionals to coverage of a sector with global significance.