PRSK@50 Warrior Award Winners

Currently Assistant Director at the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Paul has more than two decades of public service experience as a high school teacher, journalist, thought-leader in environmental conservation and strategic communications. He is credited with leveraging communication strategies for three high-level ivory burning events and leading an effective media campaign on the repossession and restoration of the Mau Forests Complex. A prolific writer, his work has been published in Kenya's mainstream media, PR Digest, Msafiri, Tembea Kenya, Diplomat East Africa, the George Wright Forum and the Nairobi Law Monthly. He served on the 2019 ministerial Makali Taskforce on improvement of Government information and public communication.

Heading the Corporate Affairs docket at the IEBC, Tabitha has over 25 years' experience in strategic communications, crisis management and corporate governance. She set up the IEBC national media centre and the national communication call centre — an early warning system that supports and monitors key activities during elections — and an automated customer-care management system. She began her career at the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation and has served on the Board of the Media Council of Kenya. She chairs the Association of Professional Broadcasters (APB) and has coordinated national and international electoral stakeholder forums including CCIOS, the Commonwealth Electoral Network Biennial Conference and AWEB.

Joseph holds more than a decade of public service experience as a journalist, salesman, book editor, strategic communications practitioner and thought leader in environmental conservation and girl-child empowerment. He served on the PRSK Taskforce on the Public Relations and Communications Management Bill and Policy, on the 2013 KLB Taskforce on the One Laptop Per Child Policy and the organising committee of the 2016 Kenya National Youth Employment Summit (YES-Kenya). He is an associate trustee of NEWI — the Women's Initiative in Education — a not-for-profit of over 600 professionals mentoring and championing girl-child education in Kenya.

Dr. Khisa heads Public Relations and Communications at NSSF, is a certified mediator in Kenya and a corporate communication consultant. He has taught media and communication studies since 2009 and previously worked as an electronic media journalist at KBC, Citizen Radio and TV. His accomplishments range from spearheading the inaugural electronic media sports advertising with Orbit Sports, launching Michelin Tyres and leading the communication campaigns of Population Services International and Eveready Batteries. His published works include Impact of Livestock Rustling on Social Economic Development and Water as a Source of Conflict in Samburu and Isiolo.

Director in charge of Placement and Career Development at the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service and a member of several inter-ministerial committees, Dr. Oluoch has practised public relations and communication management for over 22 years. He has previously worked at Moi and Rongo universities as a Public Relations Officer, Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Director and Dean, and has supervised many communication and PR students at Masters and Doctoral levels. He has consulted in communication for UNESCO, World Vision and the Media Council of Kenya, and contributed to external examination, review and development of PR training curricula for several universities in Kenya.

Beatrice currently serves as a Deputy Director at EACC. She served on the PRSK Council from 2012 to 2018 as Assistant Treasurer and Assistant Secretary, helping the Society develop its first strategic plan and establish governance structures. Nationally, she has been a member of the task force on National Communications Policy and Strategy formulation, has deputised the Government Spokesperson and helped create public campaigns such as Najivunia Kuwa Mkenya and Uliza Serikali. She helped raise funds for the 2015 World Conference on PR in Emerging Economies (WCEPREE) and supported PRSK students' CPD programmes such as the Boot Camp and PR@360.

A PhD candidate in Social Transformation in Governance at Tangaza University College, Stephen is a skilled public relations practitioner with over 20 years' experience across the public, private and civil society sectors. He is a Fellow of PRSK and former President of the East Africa Public Relations Association (EAPRA), former Vice Chairperson of PRSK and the 2012 recipient of the PRSK Golden Honors Award. He has previously headed PR and marketing at the National Hospital Insurance Fund and Egerton University, and worked at the Pyrethrum Board of Kenya and British American Tobacco (Kenya).

A seasoned, award-winning, global story-teller and trainer, Jane has grown her career from cub reporter to public relations professional, coach, mentor and university lecturer. She is currently Head of Communications at Kenya Seed Company Ltd and chairs the Green Belt Movement. As PRSK Chairperson she helped deliver a regular CPD training calendar, host the WCPREE, settle the profession towards an independent Secretariat, deliver the draft Institute of Public Relations and Communication Management Bill and review the PRSK Constitution.

Desiree has over 25 years of experience in marketing and communication in Kenya. She began her career in marketing and later joined Gina Din Corporate Communications as Executive Director, growing the client base from three to over twenty-five, before co-founding Engage BCW which has handled blue chip and consumer clients over the last 10 years. She has provided mentorship and training for new entrants, running an internship and job shadowing programme. She has been awarded the PRSK Lifetime Award — the Society's highest individual recognition.

Sylviah is a seasoned, award-winning strategic public relations and communication management business leader with over 14 years of experience across the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. She has managed iconic brands including SRC, TSC, Vivo Energy, Huawei Technologies, State Bank of Mauritius Bank of Kenya, the Ministry of Energy's KOSAP project, SASRA, NHIF, Telkom Kenya, NSSF, Barclays Bank Kenya, East African Cables, Reckitt, EABL and Diageo Brands. She was the project communication lead for the Choose Kenya campaign that leveraged President Obama's historic July 2015 visit to positively position the country globally.

Peter is a communication specialist with over two decades of experience across professional and corporate leadership. He is a board member of the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communications Management and Chairman of its Africa Regional Council, immediate former President of APRA and a Council Member of APRA. He is a former CEO of the Kenya Film Commission and a founder Board Member of both Brand Kenya Board and the Media Council of Kenya. Peter served as President of PRSK between 2007 and 2012 and is a UN consultant on Strategic Communication, a Senior Member of IPRA, and a Fellow of both APRA and PRSK.

Margaret is co-founder of Corporate Reflection, a home-grown pioneer public relations firm, with over three decades' experience in management, communication and public relations in the public and not-for-profit sectors and consultancies. She has worked for major blue-chip companies including BAT (Kenya), Reckitt Benckiser, General Motors, GlaxoSmithKline, Malaria No More, the Duke of Edinburgh Award for Young People and the Global Business Coalition on HIV, Malaria & Tuberculosis. Feted as 'Mama PR', she was instrumental in the incubation and day-to-day affairs of PRSK before the organisation established its independent headquarters in 2016.

Founder of Cause Impact (previously Impact Africa), Kentice has over 20 years' experience in strategic PR and Communication Management, having grown to Head of Corporate Communications for the Kenya Wildlife Service. She conceptualised and implemented Beyond Zero and the First Lady's Half Marathon (2014), and has supported initiatives including Kenya's Highway Code, the Aflatoxin programme for IITA, the first Africa Green Revolution Forum in Arusha and Integrated Coastal Zone Management. She is a director at the Communications Authority of Kenya, chairs the Football Federation of Kenya's Electoral Board, is a former PRSK Chairperson and Global Alliance Africa delegate-at-large. She has received the Golden Honours PRSK Award and a silver medal from the Government of Ethiopia for the 2011 ICASA conference. She teaches strategic communication at the University of Nairobi.

Waimiri has over two decades' experience in journalism, marketing, advertising, communications and project management across public, corporate and non-governmental organisations. He is the former Communications Director for GE Africa, where he drove business growth through marketing communications. Notable among his contributions was the national communication campaign on KenGen's IPO. He served as Assistant Treasurer (2000) and Secretary General (2012) on the PRSK Council, was a founding official of APReCoM, and received the PRSK Golden Award for his contribution to the growth and development of public relations in Kenya.

Grace leads Brand Magnets Limited, a corporate communication and PR agency of 13 years. Prior to that she served as Corporate Communication Head at the Agricultural Society of Kenya and the Federation of Kenya Employers, developing the concept for the Prime Minister's Round Table (today the Presidential Round Table). She helped guide private sector communication for cohesion after the 2007/8 post-election violence. She sat on the PRSK Council from 2009 to 2014, exiting as Vice-Chairperson, and lobbied the Global Alliance to host WCPREE in Kenya. At APReCoM she organised three years of annual golf tournaments supporting graduate communication mentorship, and was on the taskforce that developed the draft IPRAC Bill.

Bernard manages Corporate Communications at the Kenya Ports Authority. He has chaired the Communications Committee of the Port Management Association of Eastern and Southern Africa (PMAESA) and is a member of the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH) communication committee. He chairs Corporate Social Investment Programs at KPA, recently participated as a member of the IAPH-COVID-19 Taskforce that developed guidelines and best practices for global ports, and is co-chair of the Government task force for Lamu fishermen compensation and head of the Mombasa Port and Northern Corridor Charter (MPNCCC) Communication Committee.

Managing Director of Yolanda Tavares Public Relations — a firm that has grown over 36 years to become one of the leading public relations agencies in Kenya — Yolanda has 40 years' experience managing communication programmes in East Africa, including event, exhibition and conference management in both private and public sectors. She is a Fellow of PRSK, a past board member of IPRA, has served as National Co-ordinator of IPRA in Kenya for seven years, and is a Senator of Jaycees International.

Judith was in 2021 recognised by the United Nations Global Compact as the Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) local pioneer in Kenya, and as one of the top 10 women to look out for in the banking sector through the Angaza Awards. She has spearheaded KCB Group initiatives in designing, championing and mainstreaming Sustainability Finance, Responsible Business and SDGs. She chairs the Membership Committee on the Women on Boards Network (WOBN). She holds an MA in International Relations (USIU-A), a degree in Communication Arts (Daystar) and a Diploma in Journalism (KIMC).

Anne has over 20 years' experience in communications and public relations and previously worked in South Sudan as a champion of various social causes. She holds an MA in Corporate Communication and an MA in International Studies, both from the University of Nairobi, in addition to a Bachelor's degree in Communication Arts from Daystar University, and is a graduate of the National Defence College, Kenya.

Okoth has over 10 years' experience in business and financial journalism and a further 20 years in strategic public relations. Previously Managing Director of Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide Kenya, he formulated and successfully implemented award-winning communication strategies for leading local and multinational brands including KenGen, Telkom Kenya, Barclays Bank (now Absa), Kenya Airways and The Coca-Cola Company. As a publisher he published A Handbook on Criminal Procedure in Kenya by Prof. P.L.O Lumumba during his tenure as Editor and Publisher at Business Trends Limited, and conducted and published country business surveys on Malawi and Uganda.

Lawrence founded APN — a full-service Public Relations and Strategic Communications agency — more than 15 years ago. He previously worked at the Kenya Medical Research Institute, the Commonwealth Regional Health Community Secretariat in Arusha, UNICEF in New York and the Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs Regional Office in East Africa. He holds a Masters' equivalent from the University of Minnesota (Fulbright Fellowship), a bachelor's degree in science and education and a post-graduate diploma in mass communication from the University of Nairobi, and has taken executive education at Harvard, Strathmore and Johns Hopkins. He is the founding chairperson of APReCoM and a past president of the Rotary Club of Milimani.

Dr. Marube is CEO of the Kenya Export Promotion and Branding Agency and a board member of the International Trade Centre (ITC) Advisory Board for Institutions and Ecosystems. He has served in various capacities to advance excellence in PR and Communication Management, including heading PRSK and as a member of the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management Board and Delegate-at-Large for Africa. He has lectured at Strathmore Business School, JKUAT, the Kenya School of Monetary Studies, Kenya School of Law, the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and AFROSAI-E in Pretoria. He is a graduate of Moi University (BA and PhD) and Egerton University (MA).