New Vision writer Nakajubi wins David Astor award

By David Lumu

KAMPALA - Gloria Nakajubi, a features writer with New Vision, has won the 2015 David Astor Journalism award.

The coveted award is given to young and passionate early-career print journalists within the East African region.

 Other winners are Solomon Arinaitwe (Daily Monitor) and Jacqueline Kubania from Kenya’s Daily Nation.

 Jim Meyer, the David Astor Journalism Awards Trust (DAJAT) executive director, said the scholarship attracted 40 candidates.

The winners will later this year travel to the UK and South Africa for training with different newspapers.

An excited Nakajubi said the award is a source of encouragement and also welcomed the training opportunity pegged to the award.

“Working alongside journalists from internationally acclaimed media houses is something I will have to utilise extensively,” she said.

The winning writer dedicated the award to New Vision, which she described as “a teamwork-based organisation” that has groomed her career.

New Vision Editor-in-Chief, Barbara Kaija, said the award provides a grand opportunity for Nakajubi to expand her career frontiers.

“Nakajubi is a determined, confident and disciplined lady. We are very proud of the achievement and most importantly, the training opportunity. We expect her to use the knowledge acquired to serve the country and the media better,” she said.

Kaija also thanked the David Astor Journalism Awards Trust for equipping journalists from East Africa with the much-needed journalism skills.

“We are very grateful that the foundation has taken most of our journalists for training. This is important for media development,” she said.

Kaija urged journalists who receive awards to “always learn” how to manage success.

She cautioned that journalists should instead use the opportunities that accrue from the awards to grow their media careers, rather than settling for self-destruction.

Each award winner will get a cash award of sh1.4m ($500), while the runners-up will get sh700, 000 ($250).

Emmanuel Ainebyoona and Fredric Musisi from the Daily Monitor were this year’s runners-up.

DAJAT is a UK charity founded in 2006 to promote, strengthen and support independent journalism in Africa.