Julie Brenda Nyambura in 'MTV Shuga Mashariki' S1. MTV SAF
The Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards(AMVCA) announced nominees for its 12th edition on 29 March in Lagos, Nigeria, with Kenya securing 12 nominations across films and TV shows. The 2026 edition features 32 categories, comprising 18 jury-voting categories, 11 public-voting categories, and 3 special recognition awards, including Lifetime Achievement and Trailblazer honours.
This comes just days after the unveiling of the Kalasha International Film and TV Awards nominees — Kenya’s national awards recognising excellence in film and television.
While East and Southern Africa have been represented in previous editions, the AMVCA 2026 introduces two new categories — Best Indigenous Language – North Africa and Best Indigenous Language – Central Africa — aimed at making the awards more inclusive as it expands its pan-African scope, according to MultiChoice, which organises the awards. Overall, the AMVCA still remains predominantly Nigeria-focused, with Nollywood continuing to dominate key categories, including acting and technical awards.
This year, Kenya makes a rare appearance in the acting category with Julie Brenda Nyambura scoring a nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the young adult drama MTV Shuga Mashariki. A tough category, Nyambura is nominated alongside Nollywood heavyweights such as Sola Sobowale, Funke Akindele and Linda Ejiofor.
The most nominated Kenyan title at the AMVCA, MTV Shuga Mashariki is also competing for Best Writing in a TV Series and Best Score. The series, currently airing its second season, returned to Kenya in 2025 after a 15-year hiatus.
The Chocolate Empire (Showmax) and Kash Money (Netflix), both produced by Insignia Productions, are going against each other in the Best Scripted Series category alongside Nigeria’s To Kill a Monkey and The Yard, and South Africa’s Inimba. The Chocolate Empire is also nominated for Best Indigenous M-Net Original.
Other Kenyan nominees include The People Shall for Best Documentary; Sayari and Inside Job for Best Indigenous Language Film (East Africa); Cards on the Table for Best Writing in a Movie; and Adam to Eve and Bobo for Best Scripted M-Net Original.
Also nominated from East Africa are Uganda’s Oscars 2026 entry Kimote, Tanzania’s My Sonand Ethiopia’sAddis Fikirfor Best Indigenous Language Film (East Africa); Ugandan documentary BOU; and reality series Undugu (Tanzania) and Kampala Creme (Uganda).
Voting is now open until 26 April 2026 via the Africa Magic website. Non-voting categories will be decided by the AMVCA jury, led by the newly appointed Head Judge Joke Silva.
Winners will be announced at the main ceremony on 9 May 2026, which will be broadcast live across Africa Magic channels.
See the full list of AMVCA 2026 nominees below.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
Δ
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.
Source: sinemafocus.com