The Kalasha Film and TV Awards 2026 once again placed Kenya’s creative industry at the center of national attention as filmmakers, actors, and producers gathered at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre on Saturday 2 May. The event is widely recognised as the country’s most prestigious celebration of film and television excellence. It brought together leading industry figures alongside emerging talent who are shaping the future of Kenyan storytelling. Hosted by Amina Abdi Rabar and Lotan Salapei, the ceremony highlighted both artistic achievement and the growing competitiveness of local productions. The night focused strongly on honouring excellence across film, television, and digital content.
Film remained one of the strongest categories of the night, with Nawi and Sukari emerging as the biggest winners. Nawi, Kenya’s 2025 Oscars submission, delivered a powerful performance at the awards by securing Best Feature Film and Best Lead Actress for Michelle Lemuya Ikeny. The film also gained strong public support, winning the People’s Choice Award for Feature Film. Its success reflected its strong storytelling, production quality, and emotional impact on audiences. Nawi’s multiple wins confirmed its place as one of the standout Kenyan films of the year.
Sukari also delivered an impressive run at the awards, competing closely with Nawi across major categories. The film earned Best Director for Omar Hamza and Best Original Screenplay for the writing team of June Wairegi and Omar Hamza. It also picked up Best Short Film and Best Film Score, showing strength in both creative direction and technical execution. Actor Juma Mdoe won Best Lead Actor for his role in Sukari, while Jave Samson secured Best Supporting Actor. The film’s dominance across several categories highlighted its strong creative vision and industry impact.
Other films also received significant recognition across technical and performance categories. The Dog stood out in cinematography and production support, winning Best Cinematographer for Andrew Mungai and Baker Karim and Best Gaffer for Walter Odhiambo. The People Shall earned recognition for editing and documentary work, with Mark Maina winning Best Editor and Best Documentary. Memory of Princess Mumbi also performed strongly, winning the Jury Award and Best Visual Effects. These wins showed the depth of technical talent supporting Kenyan film production.
Television categories were led by Kash Money, which dominated several of the top awards. The series won Best TV Drama and Best TV Director, credited to Grace Kahaki and Philippe Bresson. It also secured multiple acting awards, including Best Lead Actor for John Sibi Okumu and supporting acting wins for Amara Tari and Lenana Kariba. The strong performance of Kash Money highlighted the growing quality of Kenyan television storytelling and production standards. Its multiple wins confirmed it as one of the most influential TV dramas of the year.
Big Girl Small World also made a strong impression in the television categories. June Njenga won Best Lead Actress in a TV Drama for her performance in the series. Angela Ruhinda earned Best TV Scriptwriter for her work on the show, showing strong recognition for writing excellence. The series added depth to the TV competition by highlighting strong female-led storytelling and production creativity. Its wins reflected the growing diversity of content in Kenyan television.
MTV Shuga Mashariki remained a popular production, earning the People’s Choice Award for TV Drama. The win showed its continued relevance among younger audiences and its strong regional impact. In addition, several other productions were recognised in niche categories such as children’s programming, international films, animation, and student films. These categories highlighted the expanding scope of the Kenyan creative industry. They also provided a platform for upcoming talent and experimental storytelling.
Technical and craft awards also played a major role in recognising behind-the-scenes excellence. Sarah won Best Sound Design for Eric Musyoka, while Nawi – Dear Future Me earned awards for costume design and production design through Viva Njeri and Erikson Kang’ethe. 2 Asunder received recognition for makeup artistry through John Michuki. Lore by Mary Wanjiku won Best Animation, showing growth in Kenya’s animation sector. These categories highlighted the importance of technical teams in delivering high-quality productions.
The 2026 Kalasha Awards also recognised emerging talent and special contributions. Dinner for Three won Best Student Film, while The Inkidongi earned Best Student Documentary. Ndemwa won Best Children’s Production, reflecting investment in younger audiences. JIMBI took Best International Film, showing Kenya’s engagement with global cinema. Special honours included John Karanja receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award, while Edwin Wainaina was named Digital Content Creator of the Year and Shiksha Arora received the Positive Impact Content Creator award.
FULL LIST OF KALASHA AWARDS 2026 WINNERS
BEST FEATURE FILM
Nawi — Brizan Were, Lydia Wrensch and Caroline Heim
BEST LEAD ACTRESS IN A FILM
Michelle Lemuya (Nawi)
BEST LEAD ACTOR IN A FILM
Juma Mdoe (Sukari)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A FILM
Ivy Collette (Owadwa)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A FILM
Jave Samson (Sukari)
BEST DIRECTOR
Omar Hamza (Sukari)
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Sukari — June Wairegi & Omar Hamza
JURY AWARD
Memory of Princess Mumbi — Damien Hauser
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHER
The Dog — Andrew Mungai and Baker Karim
BEST SOUND DESIGNER
Sarah — Eric Musyoka
BEST FILM SCORE
Sukari — Frank Matovu
BEST EDITOR
The People Shall — Mark Maina
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Memory of Princess Mumbi — Damien Hauser
BEST GAFFER
The Dog — Walter Odhiambo
BEST COSTUME DESIGNER
Nawi – Dear Future Me — Viva Njeri
BEST MAKEUP ARTIST
2 Asunder — John Michuki
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGNER
Nawi – Dear Future Me — Erikson Kang’ethe
BEST DOCUMENTARY
The People Shall — Mark Maina
BEST ANIMATION
Lore — Mary Wanjiku
BEST KENYAN INDIGENOUS FILM
Sarah — Sarah Tenoi, Nick Reding, Amos Leuka
BEST SHORT FILM
Sukari — June Wairegi
BEST STUDENT FILM
Dinner for Three
BEST DOCUMENTARY BY A STUDENT
The Inkidongi
PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD – FEATURE FILM
Nawi
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
JIMBI
BEST CHILDREN PRODUCTION
Ndemwa
BEST TV DRAMA
Kash Money — Grace Kahaki
BEST LEAD ACTRESS IN A TV DRAMA
June Njenga (Big Girl Small World)
BEST LEAD ACTOR IN A TV DRAMA
John Sibi Okumu (Kash Money)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A TV DRAMA
Amara Tari (Kash Money)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A TV DRAMA
Lenana Kariba (Kash Money)
BEST TV DIRECTOR
Kash Money — Grace Kahaki and Philippe Bresson
BEST TV SCRIPTWRITER
Big Girl Small World — Angela Ruhinda
PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD – TV DRAMA
MTV Shuga Mashariki
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
John Karanja
DIGITAL CONTENT CREATOR OF THE YEAR
Edwin Wainaina
POSITIVE IMPACT CONTENT CREATOR OF THE YEAR
Shiksha Arora
