Uganda WASH media Awards 2017

Published on: 25/10/2017

The Uganda WASH Media Awards ceremony took place at the Sheraton Hotel in Kampala amidst pomp and glamour. The event was graced by dignitaries both from the public, private and civil society sectors. The New Vision's Ronald Mugabe was the man of the night when he emerged as overall winner.

The winners in all the six categories received a cash prize of Ug Shs 1.5 million, a certificate of recognition and a plaque, while the first runners up received a cash prize of Ug Shs 500,000 plus a certificate of recognition. The second runners up received a certificate of recognition.

Lydia Mirembe, the Communications and Knowledge Management Advisor at IRC Uganda, who spoke on behalf of the Civil Society Organisations in the WASH sector, applauded journalists for the endless efforts they invest in covering the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene related issues especially by acting as vehicles through which the WASH sector reaches out to thousands of people in the country.

The panel of judges led by Mr. John Baptist Wasswa during the event explained the criteria they used to come up with the winners. He said they are based on audience engagement, knowledge of WASH, journalistic skills, innovation and other strengths such as affirmative action basing on gender among others.

Wasswa said unlike in 2016, this time round the number of entrants rose both from the Kampala-based and upcountry media houses. There was also an increment in women entrants.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Water and Environment, Alfred Okot Okidi who represented the head of the Ministry thanked all journalists who took part in the competition adding that the awards are a way of appreciating outstanding media personalities for their excellent work and are aimed at sustaining development and advocacy in the WASH sector.