Brian Otieno

Brian Otieno is a freelance photojournalist and documentary photographer in Nairobi, Kenya. He was raised in Kibera, where he documents the everyday realities of ordinary life through his photo project called KiberaStories, which he started in 2013. His passion and commitment lie in capturing the stories of the vibrant community of Kibera and attempting to look beyond the chaotic appearance of his hometown and depict a broader spectrum of life from socio-economic, cultural, political and environmental perspectives.

Brian exhibited his project KiberaStories in Paris (October 2018), Kampala (October 2018), Lisbon (January 2019) and New York (March 2019). He was also a participant in the 16th International Dialogue on Population and Sustainable Development, which took place in Berlin in October 2018, presenting his collection of photographs, “Women of Kibera”, taken as part of the EU-funded #RightByHer campaign, which works across Africa to make women’s rights a reality.

Brian was among the 12 visual storytellers selected for the World Press Photo East Africa Masterclass in Nairobi in November 2016. In March 2019, he was selected to attend the New York Times Portfolio Review. Since 2017, he has contributed to Everyday Africa – a collective of photographers sharing images from across the continent to undermine stereotypes and clichés. Since 2016, Brian has been a professional photographer, balancing his documentary work with assignments for international publications and development organizations. He has contributed visual stories to media outlets, including The New York Times, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, Der Spiegel, and Roads & Kingdoms.

Brian’s KiberaStories won the inaugural East African Photography Award in Kampala in October 2018. He won in the Feature Stories category at the Kenya Press Photo Awards in 2017 and the Daily Life and Portraiture categories at the Kenya Photography Awards in 2018. In August 2019, Brian was selected as a recipient of the Reuter Photojournalism Grant.