Landmark 20th CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards 2015 with Zain Asher and Mark Masai set to celebrate journalism with 700 guests in Nairobi.

A large group of the continent's media and journalists are set to converge on Kenya's capital Nairobi - Africa's Green City in the Sun - from Thursday for the auspicious CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards 2015 taking place for its landmark 20th time this year.

The 20th CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards 2015 will be held on Saturday evening in Nairobi's  Kenyatta International Conference Centre, refurbished to the tune of millions earlier this year for the state visit of America's president Barack Obama, with CNN International's Zain Asher and NTV's Mark Masai.

It's here, in the continent's most prestigious annual competition to reward excellence in African journalism, where journalists from across the African continent will be honoured on Saturday night and where an expected 700 guests will converge.

Chosen from entries spanning 39 African countries, journalists will be honoured in various categories for their great reporting work in various mediums - telling harrowing, moving and important stories to their readers, listeners and viewers through inserts, interviews and articles often sourced and produced under extremely difficult circumstances.

The competition was last held in Nairobi a decade ago, in 2005.

While the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards usually alternates between South Africa and different African country from one year to the next, the awards ceremony which was held last year in Tanzania, is taking place in Kenya on Saturday and not in South Africa.

CNN International (DStv 401) denies that Kenya was selected to somehow make up for the global news channel's gaffe earlier this year when the East African country was described on CNN as "a hotbed of terror" in July.

After the on-air incident the Kenyan government demanded an apology and Tony Maddox, the executive vice-president and managing director of CNN International personally flew to Nairobi to apologise to Kenya's president Uhuru Kenyatta.

"The CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards have been held in South Africa on several occasions, but there hasn't been a formal arrangement between South Africa and other countries," CNN International told TV with Thinus.

"Our commitment is to the whole continent and we will always try to go to new locations when logistics and circumstances permit."

CNN International says CNN and MultiChoice decided upon Nairobi as the location for this year's CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards very early this year and that this has been long in the planning well before the summer.

Besides Zain Asher well-known CNN reporters are set to attend the 2015 CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards and who have covered and continue to cover the African continent incisively.

Barring any breaking news commitments, Robyn Kriel who joined CNN International from eNCA (DStv 403) earlier this year covering East Africa, David McKenzie who moved from China to South Africa to covering Africa again and Soni Methu, the presenter of the magazine show Inside Africa will all attend the awards.

Over the next few days journalists and the 31 finalists will attend various media forums with topics like "20 Years of African journalism", Storytelling in the digital age" and hear more about Africa's developmental challenges. On the itinerary is also a tour of the SuperSport studios.

CNN doesn't want to reveal exactly what and how the 20th CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards will be different on Saturday but says "it will be fantastic to be joined by the vast majority of previous winners on the night".

"As well as recognising the very best of African journalist from the last year, the event will be a real celebration of 20 years of the awards. Special video content has been created which will draw on the experiences of some of those who have been involved and made the awards so special over the years".

October is Africa on CNN International as the channel dedicates the month to African programming with the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards.

To co-incide with the 20th CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards that will be held on 10 October in Nairobi, Kenya, CNN International (DStv 401) is dedicating October to what it calls Africa Now" programming.

CNN International viewers have been seeing the "October is Africa" on-air promo running since September on the news channel.

The Business View (broadcast daily at 12:00 ) during October will include a new segment weekly entitled "Africa Now" that will focus on an element of African business, from innovation to workforce trends and that has an impact on the continent.

On the Road Ethiopia is a half-hour programme that will cover Ethiopia's Feast of Meskel festival.

On the Road Tanzania is a half-hour programme that will cover Tanzania's art scene and biodiversity.

Leading Women will have CNN International anchor Robyn Kriel interview the Oscar winning Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong'o.on Wednesday 28 October at 10:30 and 17:30.

Meanwhile the weekly One Square Meter in Connect the World (daily at 17:00) will focus entirely on Africa during October. Reports will include a look at the One Airport Square in Accra, Ghana as well as the Contemporary Art Museum in Cape Town, South Africa and two more stories from Ethiopia and Nigeria.

Then there's the regular programming strands Inside Africa, African Voices, CNN Marketplace Africa, Africa View and African Start-Up that will continue to cover the African continent during October.

African Voices is on CNN International every Friday at 10:30 and Saturdays at 16:30 (or watch it online at edition.cnn.com/specials/africa/africa-voices).

CNN Marketplace Africa is on CNN International every Friday and Saturday at 17:15.

During October CNN Digital will also publish a range of multi-media and social content to complement the news channel's Africa programming.

"CNN has a long-standing commitment through our five dedicated Africa programming strands - more than any other international network - to uncover vibrant stories and trends from across the continent," says Ellana Lee, the senior vice president and managing editor at CNN International.

"We are pleased to showcase the very best that Africa has to offer during a celebratory occasion of the 20th CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards."

BREAKING. Robyn Kriel becomes CNN International's new East African correspondent as eNCA cuts back on its comprehensive African coverage.

Shocker that's not really a shocker: Robyn Kriel has just officially become CNN International's (DStv 401) new East African correspondent from today as South Africa's eNCA (DStv 403) - where Robyn Kriel was the Kenyan based East African reporter - is detaching itself from comprehensive African news coverage of the continent.

Robyn Kriel has jettisoned eNCA and will now be reporting for CNN International, just like meteorologist Derek van Dam who left eNCA in August last year for CNN International, as well as Debora Patta who parted ways and is now covering Africa extensively for CBS News.

Robyn Kriel's future with eNCA was on the line along with about 30 other people, as eNCA started closing its bureaux across Africa and shuttering its entire African news division.

Robyn Kriel instantly raised eyebrows last month when she appeared on CNN International to do extensive coverage of the Garissa university massacre in Kenya.

TV with Thinus instantly asked eNCA on the day in April about why Robyn Kriel is reporting for CNN International and whether she has left eNCA, and was told that she is "helping out".

Now Robyn Kriel is definitely gone and eNCA is the poorer for it - losing yet another top TV news talent.

There's been no announcement from eNCA about Robyn Kriel's departure; no statement, no reassurance from eNCA on how it will continue or try to keep covering East African news despite having lost a veteran reporter on the ground who've covered multiple major stories from the increasingly important African region over years.

While eNCA no longer sees a sustainable future of instant news reporting from Kenya and the surrounding East African region with a strong on the ground presence through a local news team based there, CNN International does and its obvious and understandable why Robyn Kriel who has extensive experience and news credentials jumped ship.

eNCA's Robyn Kriel now anchoring the late afternoon shift, filling in from behind the Hyde Park anchor desk for the first time in 3 years.

She's not in Kansas Kenya anymore: eNCA's East Africa bureau chief Robyn Kriel is not just back in South Africa, she's also back behind the anchor desk at the 24-hour TV news channel - the first time in three years.

Thankfully there's no birds in the Hyde Park studios at eNCA (DStv 403).

I did ask eNCA but its not yet clear whether Robyn Kriel is just filling in for one day, or will be anchoring for several days - and if so, what days, or when she will be returning to Kenya, or what she is doing in South Africa.

AVIAN BLUE. An eagle swoops and attacks eNCA's East Africa bureau chief, Robyn Kriel, in Kenya, thinking she is a fish.

eNCA's East Africa bureau chief Robyn Kriel got quite a fright this week when an eagle swooped in and attacked her - probably thinking she's a fish - just as Robyn Kriel stood ready to deliver her piece to camera.

In Kisumu, Kenya, a startled Robyn Kriel then unleashed, hilariously, an expletive laced, choice few words which would never make it to television, after the bird swooped down behind her and tried to grab her head.

Robyn Kriel was filming at a fish market on the shores of Lake Victoria according to eNCA, when the eagle dove down and ruffled some hair, if not feathers.

A funny clip of Robyn Kriel's unexpected eagle encounter can be watched here.