Kenya Film Commission (KFC) has announced the winners of My Kenya My Story mobile phone film competition. For the second year in a row, David Waronja scooped the top prize of Ksh 200,000 courtesy of his film Automedic. The film 2024 by Mandela Midamba emerged second winning a cash prize of Ksh 150,000 while Mmoja by Omar Hamza Hassan was third and got a cash prize of Ksh 100,000.

Muzzled by Sammy Mwaura and Covid 19 by Paul Gaturu scooped Ksh 25,000 each as Jury Special Mentions; Muzzled highlighted a present struggle of People Living With Disability whereas Covid 19 (by Paul Gaturu) made a commendable attempt at an action film. Besides these 5 films, the remaining 15 shortlisted films will each get a token of Ksh 5,000 from the Commission.

Mr Joe Mucheru, Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs graced the event as Chief Guest, accompanied by Chief Administrative Secretary in the Ministry of ICT, Ms. Maureen Mbaka. In his remarks, Mr Mucheru pledged his continuous support and that of H.E. the President in assisting filmmakers in telling the Kenyan story. He urged filmmakers to embrace the mobile phone in telling transformational Kenyan stories.

“This year’s theme of the competition - Covid 19: Staying at Home and Social Distancing - highlighted a wide spectrum of perspectives as expressed by over 250 filmmakers from various Counties who submitted their films. Additionally, many films made good use of accessories to ensure stable shots, good lighting and audio”, noted Ms Nice Githinji. Ms. Githinji, a renowned film and TV actor, was the Jury Chairperson for this edition.

Kenya Film Commission CEO Mr. Timothy Owase notes that: “My Kenya My Story competition is one activity within the Commission’s commitment of growing Kenya’s film industry, focussing on application of affordable technology in telling stories. The competition is aimed at powering the growth of the local film industry countrywide with the affordability of a smart phone over high-end equipment”.

In this third edition of My Kenya My Story competition, KFC partnered with various organizations through which the winners will receive complimentary giveaways in addition to the cash prizes. This year’s sponsors are:

• TECNO Mobile Limited giving a Tecno Camon 15 phone to the winner; the first and second runners up will receive a Tecno Spark 5 phone each.
• CDI Gadgets awarding the top three winners with camera accessories ranging from tripods, phone rigs, microphones and lenses.
• Multichoice Kenya giving the 20 nominees a six months’ subscription of Showmax. In addition, the second runners up will get a DStv HD Zappa Fullkit (Decoder, Installation, Cabling) with one month Premium subscription; the winner and first runners up will each get a DStv HD Explora Fullkit (Decoder, Installation, Cabling) with one month Premium subscription.
• Kenya Scriptwriters Guild will give a free annual membership to the 20 nominees with an open invitation to all of the Guild’s activities within one year.

All the 20 shortlisted films are available on the Kenya Film Commission Youtube page.
The Kenya Film Commission is a State Corporation mandated to develop a vibrant local Film and TV industry, and market Kenya as a preferred filming destination for sustainable wealth and job creation.