Joseph Mathenge: The Award-Winning Photojournalist

Published by Paukwa on March 4, 2021

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As a young boy growing up in SOS Children’s Village – Burburu in the 70s, Joseph Mathenge’s perception of the world was slowly revealed through his surroundings. So many things were happening close to him, but there were grand changes in the country that were hard to ignore. While his young eyes searched in wonder and his mind bloomed to grasp more things, this young boy had no idea what lay ahead for him.

When he was a teenager at Eastleigh Boys’ High School, he stumbled upon a camera at the home. It belonged to the director who gladly let Joseph use it on condition he take care of it. A budding photographer became of the teenager who took time to take pictures of his environment and soon started photographing at school events. It was the eighties and rally events in East Africa were a big deal bringing in people from different places to witness the likes of Shekar Mehta and Ian Duncan in their safari rally cars. Once Joseph had proved himself responsible with the camera, he was allowed to carry it with him to KICC where he intended to capture the event. He stood where the photographers and journalists were, easily fitting in with his own device. As the professionals took pictures, Joseph did the same, silently shadowing them and looking forward to the following day’s newspaper to compare the pictures he would develop and keep for himself with those in the newspaper.

Joseph looked forward to newspapers from then on to see how photojournalists had used selected images to accompany stories, and found the job that he too wanted to do. He however went on to study automotive engineering but his urge to tell stories was strong. A year into his course, he switched to journalism at the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication. By his second year here, Joseph was confident in his photography skills and was even making an income from selling his photos. He saved his coins and bought his first Nikon camera. With it he was sure success was underway.

His education and experience enabled him to get contracted for small jobs. His ability to understand the client’s brief and deliver earned him recognition and in to time he was walking into the Nation to begin work as one of the media house’s photojournalists. His first assignment was his most memorable. A student had mysteriously died in Kikuyu. To get the story meant to also uncover the cause of death, and there was Joseph rushing from the crime scene to the mortuary in pursuit of a story. He snuck into city mortuary and accidentally got locked in. When the government pathologist found him and Joseph explained himself, it became apparent that he was a young, determined journalist. It was, after all, his first assignment. The pathologist willingly provided Joseph with the details regarding the cause of death. From this success, Joseph was assigned to more crime stories but established diversity through offering himself to cover political and entertainment stories. He covered big stories like famine in Turkana and El Nino, and each time he presented his photos, they made an impact. When the media house bought its first digital camera in the nineties, Joseph was the photojournalist it was assigned to.

After working at the Nation for close to a decade, Joseph left and briefly worked at Standard Media Group before he took the plunge and became a freelance journalist. From the relationships he had established, Joseph was able to secure work with ease. He was commissioned by the UN Women to cover their events around the country. Then came September 2013 and with it one of the horrifying times in Kenya’s history. Joseph made his way to the Westgate Shopping Mall, slung his camera over his shoulder and bravely snuck into the premises with the intention to rescue victims. With the outside world unsure of the happenings within the mall, Joseph’s photojournalist instincts came into play. He took photographs which revealed the horrific attack from inside the mall. This bravery didn’t go unnoticed; In 2014, CNN awarded him the CNN African Journalist of the Year (2014). He was the first photojournalist in the world to receive this award, representing Kenya through this prestigious award.

CNN invited Joseph to CNN-HQ in Atlanta for a fellowship. Upon completion he was titled an honourable member of CNN’s television journalists dedicated to the free flow of information worldwide. Joseph’s humility has never left him despite his recognition. At 51, his urge to capture stories is still prominent and he is currently working on a project documenting the improvements of public health institutions in Nairobi.

From Joseph’s story we see that luck sometimes shines on us and we see the ability to take chances and invest in our desired paths.