There was a point in my career when things were falling apart and I was almost giving up and going back home. But my mother, who believed in me even when I was beginning to doubt myself, decided to take a chama loan to buy me a camera.
That camera became more than just a tool, it became the turning point in my career. It opened doors, gave me the opportunity to tell stories through the lens and set me on a journey that has since taken me from local assignments to national and international recognition.
But his biggest recent chapter has come through Safaricom’s Capture the Good Awards, a journey that would take Amanya from thousands of entries to the final 18, while bringing his personal story full circle.
Amanya began among approximately 6,000 entries. The number was reduced to 243, then 90, before he reached the final 18 finalists.
Addressing the press in Nairobi, Amanya stated that each stage brought him closer to a recognition he had worked toward for years.
“From 6,000 to 243, to 90 and now to 18 finalists, it has been a long journey. Every stage has reminded me that persistence can take you places you never imagined,” he told the press.
As a Capture the Good finalist, Amanya received an equipment voucher from Safaricom, giving him an opportunity to improve his photography and storytelling capabilities.
The programme also provided support for him to undertake a community project, creating a connection between his personal journey and his growing responsibility as a storyteller.
His latest opportunity to strengthen his craft came through Safaricom and the M-PESA Foundation’s support for the Capture the Good initiative.
One was a mother investing in her son’s dream. The other was an institutional investment in a storyteller’s ability to create impact.
The Capture the Good opportunity was particularly meaningful to Amanya because his work has always been closely connected to communities.
His photography has taken him into schools, homes, farms, water points and other spaces where ordinary people are navigating extraordinary challenges.
As part of the project, he travelled to Naitiri SA Primary School, where he set out to tell a story of transformation through just three photographs.
His assignment was to document how a Safaricom and M-PESA Foundation supported project was changing the learning environment and creating new opportunities for pupils.
He titled his visual story “Naitiri Primary: Where Dreams Once Struggled, Education Now Thrives.”
Through three carefully selected photographs, Amanya captured the transformation taking place at the school telling a story not only of infrastructure and opportunity, but also of learners whose dreams were being given room to grow.
The story went on to become one of the standout entries in the Capture the Good competition, advancing all the way to the national finals.
For Amanya, the Naitiri project represented more than another photography assignment. It brought together two things that have defined his journey: storytelling and education.
Over the years, he has documented education stories involving children, teachers, schools and communities through assignments involving organisations including Elimu Yetu Coalition, Save the Children and FAWE Kenya.
Although his career took him into journalism and communication rather than the education profession, Amanya sees education as one of the foundations of his own journey.
“My passion is telling education stories because education made me where I am,” he said.
Through the Naitiri project, he was able to turn that passion into a visual story of transformation using photography to show how investment in education can create environments where children can learn, dream and imagine a different future.
He grew up in Khwisero Constituency, Kakamega County and became known among family and friends for telling stories that could make people laugh or become emotional.
