Kenyan-American Photographer Polly Irungu Ends Three-Year Tenure At White House

Kenyan-American photographer Polly Irungu has celebrated an incredible milestone, marking her end to three-year stint at the White House, where she served as the Official Photo Editor for Vice President Kamala Harris and as an Official White House Photographer.

Irungu shared her reflections on her career journey on X (formerly Twitter) on January 20, 2025, expressing that she never imagined her passion for visual storytelling would lead her to such a prestigious role.

She noted that the day marked her last in office as the Trump administration transitions.

“When I developed a love for visual storytelling and worked at McDonald’s in school to save up for my first camera, I never thought my passion would take me to The White House. After nearly 3 years, today was my last day. Thank you, Mr. President, Adam, and Lawrence,” Irungu shared in her post.

When I developed a love for visual storytelling and worked at McDonald’s in school to save up for my first camera. I never thought my passion would take me to The White House. After nearly 3 years, today was my last day. Thank you, Mr. President, Adam, and Lawrence. pic.twitter.com/yGPQUji4Rx

— Polly Irungu (@pollyirungu) January 20, 2025

Who is Polly Irungu?

Polly Irungu is a self-taught multimedia journalist and the founder of Black Women Photographers, a global community and directory of over 1,000 Black women and non-binary photographers. Before her time at the White House, she served as the digital editor at New York Public Radio (WNYC).

As a photographer and writer, Irungu’s work has been featured in major publications, including Adobe’s Create Magazine, The New York Times, Reuters, Global Citizen, NPR, BBC News, MEFeater, Refinery29, The Washington Post, BuzzFeed, CNN, and others.

Irungu holds a degree in Journalism from the University of Oregon, completed in 2017. Born in Nairobi, Kenya, she has lived in various places around the world, including Topeka, Kansas, Eugene, Oregon, Washington, D.C., Little Rock, Arkansas, and Brooklyn, New York.

In addition to her work as a photographer and journalist, Irungu is involved in several influential programs. She is currently part of Twitter and LinkedIn’s Creator programs, teaches at the International Center of Photography, and is one of 20 journalism innovators in CUNY’s entrepreneurship program for the year.