Cartoonist Maddo becomes the first CNN winner to skive acceptance speech

Paul Kelemba, known as ‘Maddo’ to his fans, became the first cartoonist to win the 20-year-old CNN Multichoice African Journalist Competition on October 10.  

The publicity shy cartoonist also became the first winner to skive an acceptance speech as he left the podium with uttering a single word.

Maddo won with his Sorting Out Nairobi Transport Problems entry from his weekly satirical sketch, It’s a Mad Mad World published in February last year by The Standard on Saturday.

It  depicted possible solutions to Nairobi’s perennial public transport problems and caught the eye of the CNN judges who awarded him the prize in the Energy and Infrastructure category.

It’s a Madd Madd World has been running for 26 years.

Maddo sources material for his illustrations from watching news on TV and, he says, “I also make observations whenever I am as way of keeping tabs with our social dynamics.” Maddo today uploads his illustrations on his Facebook and Twitter accounts to catch up with changing technology. The reactions are immediate; and bits of It’s aMadd Madd World are feedback from readers.

The avid Lingala and Rhumba fan, who rarely misses live performances by Rocky Billa at Pots and Palms Restarurant, says his trademark gololi eyes are an asset as “The rounded eyes are a quick and fast to register goings-on in his surroundings.”

Other drawings have been on youth, crime, family, business, religion and what constitutes life in Kenya.

Maddo dedicated his win to his mother Everlyne, wife Eunice (‘Maddess’) and daughter (‘Maddlet’) as he refers to them, besides “my high school teacher (at Nyang’ori High) George Amunga who inspired me.”