In order to give local journalism in Africa more recognition, the Media Programme Sub-Saharan Africa of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung presented the KAS Media Africa Award for Local Journalism for the first time at the beginning of February. The jury had to judge 199 entries from 28 African countries and was impressed by the variety of topics and the way they were presented in print media, radio, television and online.

The three winners are Raquel Muigai from Kenya for her sensitive film "Scars of the Vote", in which she reports on the victims of ethnic violence after the 2007 elections in Kenya. Then Jeff Wicks from News 24 was awarded for his series of articles on the murder of whistleblower Babita Deokaran, who had reported on corruption in the South African Ministry of Health. The third winner is Ugandan Esther Oluka for a series of articles in the Daily Monitor on land grabbing in her home country.

"We are pleased to contribute with this award to the promotion of local journalism, which is so important," said the Director of the media programme, Christoph Plate, when announcing the winners at a conference on local journalism in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. In recognition of their contribution to local journalism, the three award winners will be invited to go on a fact-finding trip to German local newsrooms in April, including Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland and ZDF.

The members of the jury are:

• Dr. Nancy Booker from the Aga Khan University in Nairobi/Kenya
• Nwabisa Makunga, Editor-in-Chief of "Sowetan", Johannesburg/South Africa
• Yannick Dillinger, designated editor-in-chief of the "Rheinpfalz", Ludwigshafen/Germany
• Jasmin Off, Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland, Hanover and member of the jury of the German KAS Local Journalist Award
• Jan Jessen, political editor and reporter, Neue Ruhr/Rhein Zeitung (NRZ), Essen.