The Mombasa County Government, through the Ministry of Youths and Sports, in partnership with the Zentara Excellence Awards, has unveiled an awards platform aimed at recognizing emerging and often overlooked talent across the Coast Region, Kenya, and East Africa.
The awards seek to shine a spotlight on community leaders, media personalities, digital creators, musicians, humanitarian actors, and event organizers whose contributions have made a meaningful impact in their communities.
Registration opened on August 2, 2026, through the official Zentara Excellence Awards website, and the registered participants can log in to nominate individuals or groups to participate in the voting process.
Speaking during the launch in Mombasa, County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for youths and Sports Jonathan Wepukhulu said the partnership will help Mombasa’s young people get international recognition.
Wepukhulu also highlighted the impending launch of the Creative Task Force Report, an initiative championed by Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir that seeks to strengthen opportunities for young people in the creative sector while addressing the growing challenge of youth drug addiction in the county.
“Today I am formally signing a certificate recognizing Mariam Kilyenyi as the Tanzanian Coordinator for the Zentara Excellence Awards as one way of strengthening the awards’ regional presence beyond Kenya,” said Wepukhulu.
Zentara Excellence Awards Secretary-General Brant Koi said transparency and accountability would be central to the awards, distinguishing the initiative from other award schemes that have at times faced questions over voting and selection processes.
Koi said the entire voting process would be conducted through the official awards platform, with every vote recorded, time-stamped, and auditable, adding that vote counts will also be visible and verifiable, while independent oversight mechanisms have been established to help prevent manipulation of the results.
“The initiative is intended to move away from recognition based primarily on fame or financial influence and instead identify individuals and organizations making genuine grassroots contributions,” said Koi.
Koi also announced that the awards ceremony will be held on November 7, 2026, when nominees and winners will be formally celebrated, and called on partners and sponsors to support the initiative.
“With nominations and voting now underway, the awards are positioning themselves as a platform where talent, community impact, and excellence—not fame or affluence—will determine who receives recognition,” Koi said.
The awards have been divided into Coast Region and East Africa categories, with entries spanning five major areas in music, media, humanitarian works, digital creativity, and event excellence.
The awards are governed by a signed Committee Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that outlined the roles, responsibilities, and financial commitments of the committee.
“The awards’ budget and operational procedures have also been documented and will be subject to internal review,” said Koi.
By Phillip Kipele and Whitney Alice
