Multimedia Journalist & Storyteller — Nairobi, Kenya

John Kennedy
Otieno.

Strategic communicator and multimedia producer with a track record across broadcast TV, digital news, radio, independent film, and institutional videography. I find stories that matter — then find the sharpest way to tell them.

Get in touch Read my work →
49
Published articles
5+
Platforms
196
Page yearbook
KES 200K
Ad revenue led
John Kennedy Otieno

01 — Writing

Field Dispatches

All articles ↗

Sustainability Watch

Is Kenya on Course to Plant 15 Billion Trees? Survival Gaps Threaten 2032 Target

A ground-level examination of the tracking failures and survival challenges threatening Kenya's flagship reforestation programme.

Feb 2026 — Capital FM→

Economy

Kenya's Hidden Credit Crisis: Millions Have Accounts but Few Borrow

While 84% of adults have bank or mobile money accounts, only 16% are financially healthy — unpacking why access isn't the same as inclusion.

Jan 2026 — Capital FM→

Politics

Winnie Odinga Moves to Reclaim ODM's Moral Center

A generational and ideological fracture that could reshape Kenya's opposition landscape ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Jan 2026 — Capital FM→

Tech & Rights

ODPC Confirms Deletion of Kenyans' Biometric Data by Worldcoin

The data protection regulator confirms full compliance with directives to delete iris scan data following suspension of Worldcoin operations in Kenya.

Jan 2026 — Capital FM→

Governance

Senators Move to Ban Political Branding on Public Projects

Renewed push in the Senate to strip elected leaders' names and images from publicly funded infrastructure.

Feb 2026 — Capital FM→

Law & Justice

Small Claims Court Loses Jurisdiction Over Traffic Injury Cases

A ruling that reshapes the legal landscape for personal injury claims and sets new boundaries for an overwhelmed court system.

Jan 2026 — Capital FM→

Africa Desk

Bobi Wine Rejects 'Fabricated Results' as Museveni Extends Lead in Provisional Count

On-the-ground coverage of Uganda's contested 2026 election and the opposition's dispute over the provisional count.

Jan 2026 — Capital FM→

Business

Data Sovereignty Fears Rise as Vodacom Eyes 55pc Safaricom Stake

Part of a sustained run of coverage on the Safaricom divestment story and its data-sovereignty and control implications.

Jan 2026 — Capital FM→
View all 49 articles on Capital FM

02 — Broadcast

TV47 Stories

● Investigative Feature — TV47

The Hustle Economy: Is the Government For or Against It?

An investigative piece examining the tension between Kenya's informal sector — the backbone of millions of livelihoods — and government policies that may be working against it.

Watch on YouTube

TV47 — Feature Report

Kenya Accused of Undervaluing Its Workers

A viral assault video sparks national outrage and opens a wider conversation about the systemic devaluation of Kenyan workers and labour protections.

More TV47 Work

Additional broadcast segments and features available on the TV47 Kenya YouTube channel.

TV47 Channel

03 — Video & Film

Lens Work

Institutional Videography — USIU-Africa

USIU-Africa — Facebook

USIU-Africa Campus Story

Institutional videography produced and shot for USIU-Africa's official Facebook page, capturing campus life and community.

TikTok Content

USIU-Africa — TikTok

USIU-Africa Social Content

Short-form video produced for USIU-Africa's TikTok platform — shot, directed and edited independently.

Watch on TikTok

Live Social Coverage — #ExperienceUSIU Culture Week 2024

USIU-Africa — Facebook

Culture Night — Live Coverage

Behind-the-scenes footage shot for USIU-Africa's official Facebook page as part of the coordinated #ExperienceUSIU #GlobalFusionFiesta media campaign covering Culture Week 2024.

USIU-Africa — X / Twitter

#GlobalFusionFiesta — Live Tweet Coverage

Real-time social media coverage produced as part of USIU-Africa's media team live-tweeting Culture Week 2024.

USIU-Africa — X / Twitter

#ExperienceUSIU — Culture Week Live Update

Additional live social coverage from Culture Week 2024, shot and posted as part of USIU-Africa's student media team.

News Vlogs

News Vlog

A.I. and Mental Health

A personal video-essay exploring the growing intersection of artificial intelligence and mental health support systems.

News Vlog

Voter Registration Experience

A firsthand account of the voter registration process in Kenya — barriers, bureaucracy, and what civic participation actually looks like on the ground.

News Vlog

Kenya's Shrinking Civic Space

A personal video-essay on the tightening room for protest, dissent, and free expression in Kenya, and what it means for ordinary citizens.

Audio-Visual Podcasts

A/V Podcast — ft. Abass Mpindi

What You Know — Not Who You Know

A conversation with media professional Abass Mpindi on merit, networks, and what it actually takes to build a career in African media.

A/V Podcast — ft. Rachel Akidi

The Evolution of Media

Rachel Akidi joins to dissect how African media is transforming — from legacy broadcast to digital-first storytelling, and what gets lost in translation.

Independent Film

Independent Short Film · Written & Directed by JKO

Jane

An independently produced short film — a personal project that demonstrates the full range of John Kennedy Otieno's craft: from concept and script through camera work and final cut.

Watch the film

Case Studies

Brand strategy.

Scroll or swipe →

Marjory's Atelier

Client

Marjory's Atelier

Category

Brand Strategy

Scope

Market research, brand positioning, identity direction, campaign strategy

Marjory's Atelier case study — cover
Marjory's Atelier case study — brand strategy scope and insight
Marjory's Atelier case study — intervention
Marjory's Atelier case study — outcomes

4 slides

+4
New customer enquiries per month, on average, following the rebrand and campaign rollout
2
New vending placements secured off the back of the new brand credibility
→
Founder went on to enroll in a business mentorship program for female entrepreneurs

Hera

Client

Hera

Category

Brand Strategy & Customer Experience Design

Scope

Brand positioning, naming & verbal identity, visual identity system, retail service design

Hera case study — cover
Hera case study — intervention
Hera case study — deliverables

3 slides

1
Brand Blueprint — mission, vision, verbal identity, naming, and tagline
2
Visual Identity System — logo mark, colour palette, typography, and packaging direction
3
Retail Service Playbook — end-to-end customer journey mapping, booking protocols, and post-visit retention strategy

Polaris Academic Agents

Client

Polaris Academic Agents

Category

Brand Strategy

Scope

Market research, positioning strategy, operational strategy, go-to-market strategy, brand identity

Polaris Academic Agents case study — cover
Polaris Academic Agents case study — category, scope, and market insight
Polaris Academic Agents case study — brand positioning and operational architecture
Polaris Academic Agents case study — go-to-market strategy and identity
Polaris Academic Agents case study — outcomes

5 slides

1
A finalized brand identity — name, tone of voice, visual system, and tagline — ready to carry the business to launch
2
A resilient operating model spanning inquiry to post-arrival, built to scale from Kisumu across East Africa
3
A targeted go-to-market strategy positioned to capture an underserved market segment

1,000 Chapatis for 1,000 Smiles

Client

Chef Brian Abala / StreatWithUs Foundation

Category

Event & Brand Strategy

Scope

Event Planning & Management, Brand Strategy, Content Production, Sponsorship Strategy, Grassroots Mobilization

1,000 Chapatis for 1,000 Smiles case study — cover
1,000 Chapatis for 1,000 Smiles case study — category, scope, and insight
1,000 Chapatis for 1,000 Smiles case study — community pivot and sponsorship architecture
1,000 Chapatis for 1,000 Smiles case study — content strategy and grassroots mobilization
1,000 Chapatis for 1,000 Smiles case study — outcomes

5 slides

1
460+ people fed — 110 children across 2 children's homes, plus 350+ unhoused persons
2
In-kind donations and volunteered services matched the full KES 100,000 self-funded baseline, without the KES 250,000 corporate sponsorship originally pursued
3
An owned list of potential customers, clients, and donors built for Chef Abala, plus a reusable content library for future pitches

Creative Direction & Editorial

USIU-Africa Yearbook 2024.

Cover of the USIU-Africa Yearbook 2024

Role

Editor in Chief

Client

USIU-Africa

Period

Jul 2024 – Oct 2024

1,200
Print copies
KES 200K
Ad revenue
On time
Delivered to print, with SOPs adopted by the 2025 team
Read the yearbook (PDF) →

04 — Leadership

Institutional Impact

USIU-Africa

Editor in Chief — Yearbook

Jul 2024 – Oct 2024

196
Pages delivered
1,200
Print copies
KES 200K
Ad revenue
  • Delivered a 196-page yearbook on time and to print — the first successful production in recent institutional memory.
  • Established editorial SOPs and role templates adopted by the 2025 team, who also delivered on time.
  • Advocated for and secured creation of a permanent annual editorial assistant role for institutional continuity.

USIU-Africa

Head of Radio

Oct 2023 – Oct 2024

KES 150K
Budget grown to
~300
Media Week attendees
50
Journalists registered
  • Revived USIU Radio after a two-year pandemic closure, rising from presenter to Head of Production to Head of Radio.
  • Secured USIU Radio's formal recognition as a student organisation, unlocking institutional funding for the first time.
  • Conceived and organised the inaugural USIU-Africa Media Week — an inter-club event now in its second consecutive year.

05 — Toolkit

Skills & Craft

Production & Multimedia

Adobe Premiere ProFinal Cut ProDSLR VideographyPhotographyBroadcast PackagingPodcast ProductionLive StreamingRadio Programming

Communications & Strategy

OSINTDigital VerificationSocial Media ManagementContent StrategyBrand StrategyAudience DevelopmentEchobox CMSBreaking News

Languages

EnglishKiswahiliFrench — DELF/DALF B2SpanishLuo

Let's work together

Have a story
worth telling?

Open to full-time roles, freelance commissions, and collaborative projects across journalism, film and communications.

jkennedyotieno@gmail.com @jktellsstories @jktellsstories @jktellsstories @jktellsstories LinkedIn Capital FM +254 740 061 663

About John Kennedy Otieno

John Kennedy Otieno is a Nairobi-based multimedia journalist, broadcast TV producer, and videographer with a track record spanning digital news, television, radio, and independent film. He has reported and published across beats including Kenya's governance landscape, economic policy, environmental accountability, legal developments, and technology — establishing himself as one of the sharper young voices in Kenyan journalism. His byline appears across 49 published pieces at Capital FM Kenya, and his broadcast work has aired on TV47.

As a broadcast journalist and TV producer, John has produced and presented investigative features for TV47 Kenya, tackling subjects from Kenya's informal hustle economy to labour rights and civic participation. His work as a videographer in Nairobi includes institutional production for USIU-Africa and independently directed short films — most notably Jane, a self-produced short that demonstrates full command of the filmmaking process from script to final cut.

John is also the creator and host of an audiovisual podcast exploring media, careers and ideas in the African context — with episodes featuring media industry figures including Abass Mpindi and Rachel Akidi. His institutional leadership credentials include reviving USIU Radio after a two-year closure, founding the inaugural USIU-Africa Media Week, and serving as Editor in Chief of the university yearbook — delivering a 196-page publication on time and to 1,200 print copies.

A multilingual communicator fluent in English, Kiswahili, French (DELF/DALF B2), Spanish and Luo, John brings rare range to cross-cultural storytelling across East Africa and beyond. His technical toolkit spans Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, DSLR camera operation, OSINT, digital verification, social media strategy, and CMS management.

John Kennedy Otieno is open to full-time journalism roles, freelance reporting commissions, video and documentary production, content strategy, and media training engagements across Kenya, East Africa and internationally. To commission work or discuss opportunities, reach him at jkennedyotieno@gmail.com or connect on LinkedIn.