Kenya’s Rukia Bulle wins 2024 BBC News Komla Dumor Award

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“I hope this award will inspire young girls who wear the hijab like me,” said Rukia Buller

BBC Kenyan reporter Rukia Buller — “I hope this award will inspire young girls who wear the hijab like me,” said Rukia Buller

Kenyan journalist Rukia Bulle has won the 2024 BBC Journalism Komla Dumor Award.

The 30-year-old writer is the ninth winner of the award and currently works for Kenya National Media Group, where he specializes in writing human interest stories.

Bulle has also managed to attract a large following on TikTok with his relatable and informative content about the life of a journalist.

The award was established in memory of Ghanaian journalist and BBC World News presenter Alex Dumore, who died suddenly in 2014 at the age of 41.

He has worked tirelessly to introduce the world to a more nuanced version of Africa, one that is confident, savvy and entrepreneurial.

The judges were impressed by Buller’s resilience and ability to handle challenging stories, her focus on highlighting underrepresented voices, and her powerful on-air presence.

“Winning this award means a lot to me. As a journalist, you constantly strive to be the best you can be, whether you are recognised or not, so to be recognised on a global stage through the Komla Dumore Prize is incredibly affirming,” said Buller, who was included in the list of Kenya’s 100 most influential Muslims last year.

“I hope this award will inspire young girls like me who wear the headscarf and come from minority communities to dream big and achieve their goals.”

The Kenyan journalist will be in London for three months working with the BBC TV, radio and online news teams.

She will also receive training and mentoring from top BBC journalists.

A year before her death, Komla Dumore was named one of the 100 most influential Africans by New Africa magazine.

Tariq Kafalla, Acting Director of the BBC World Service, said he was delighted that the Komla Dumore Award had contributed to the careers of so many journalists across the continent.

He said: “Past winners of the award have all made significant contributions to public service journalism, so we are delighted to welcome Lucia Buller as this year’s winner.”

As part of his internship, Buller will travel to a country in Africa to report on a story that will be broadcast to the BBC’s global audience.

Past winners include Paa Kwesi Asare, Dingindaba Jonah Buyoya, Victoria Rubadiri, Solomon Serwanjja, Waihiga Mwaura, Amina Yuguda, Didi Akinyelure and the inaugural winner, Nancy Kacungira.

Last year, Asare traveled to Kenya to report The country’s budding electric motorcycle revolution.