Kenyan photographer grateful as White House role ends

Kenyan photographer Polly Irungu announced that her tenure as the White House photo editor ended on Monday, January 20, 2025.

The photographer’s announcement comes as her boss, Vice President Kamala Harris, and President Joe Biden prepare to end their terms, making way for Donald Trump.

 In her social media announcement, Irungu described her time working with the office of the President as a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“Today is my last day at the White House. I’m beyond grateful for the experience of a lifetime to help tell the visual story of the Biden-Harris Admin.

“As VP Kamala Harris says, hard work is good work, and I’m so proud of the good work our team did,” Irungu posted in her X account on Tuesday, January 21, 2025.

In 2018, Irungu relocated to New York City to work as a digital content editor for New York public radio.

Irungu’s breakthrough came on July 28, 2022, when she was appointed to the role by Kamala Harris.  She was tasked with documenting her campaign’s story. And also doubled as an editor and video producer in the White House Office for digital strategies.

In her role, Irungu worked with a team of photographers, editors, and archivists who helped document President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff.

 She made history then by becoming the first official Photo Editor for Vice President Kamala Harris. After bagging the prestigious role, Irungu announced the good news on her X handle.

“New chapter I’m excited to announce that I’m the first official Photo Editor for the Office of the Vice President to the Biden-Harris Administration. Honoured and grateful is an understatement,” Polly said.

Irungu’s journey started when she moved to the US at the tender age of four. Her mother, Judy, was a high school teacher and principal in Kenya before flying out to the US.

She holds a PhD and once served as the first Vice President for Diversity, equity and inclusion at Utah State University (USU).

Apart from photography, Irungu is also a writer and public speaker.

Some of her works have been published in the BBC News, New York Times, Reuters and Washington Post.

In 2020, she founded the Black Women Photographers (BWP), a global community, directory, and hub of over 2,100 Black and African creatives. The foundation helped black women receive proper recognition, and secure jobs for their creative works.

In 2024, The Oregon journalism school honoured her with the Eric Allen Outstanding Young Alumni Award.