Kenyan-Born Photographer Polly Irungu Leaves White House Job After 3 Years

A Nairobi-born photographer on Monday, January 20, shared an emotional message after her time at the White House came to an end.

In an emotional statement on X (formerly Twitter), Irungu revealed that her White House role was coming to a close as Donald Trump prepares to take the reins of power in the US.

“When I developed a love for visual storytelling and worked at McDonald’s in school to save up for my first camera,” she stated.

“I never thought my passion would take me to the White House. After nearly three years, today was my last day. Thank you, Mr President, Adam, and Lawrence.”

Polly Irungu earned plaudits in 2022 after she beat the odds to land the first photo editor job at the White House, US.

At the time, she became the first person to hold the position in the office of the then Deputy President Kamala Harris.

Irungu’s achievement can be attributed to some good fortune, but for the most part, it is due to the fact that she is well-travelled around the world.

Despite being born in Nairobi, Irungu has lived in various parts of the United States, including Kansas, Oregon, Washington, D.C., Arkansas, and ultimately Brooklyn, New York.

In 2020, during the early stages of her photography career, the proactive Irungu launched Black, an online directory of around 100 Black female photographers, all sourced from a Twitter list. Her goal at the time was to create a one-stop shop for people to find and hire Black women for photography gigs.

What makes her journey to the White House even more extraordinary is the fact that she is a self-taught photographer, whose work has been recognised by numerous publications, including The New York Times and Reuters.

In 2022, she became part of the prestigious IWMF Gwen Ifill Fellowship, a programme designed to tackle the lack of diversity in US newsrooms, particularly in leadership positions.

Excellence also appears to run in the family as Irungu’s mother Jane, who is also plying her trade in the US, landed a position as the Utah State University’s first vice president.