Washington Post hires Houreld from Reuters to be East Africa bureau chief

Washington Post foreign editor Doug Jehl, deputy foreign editors Jennifer Amur and Susan Levine and senior foreign editor Alan Sipress sent out the following on Monday:

We are delighted to announce that Katharine Houreld is joining The Washington Post as East Africa bureau chief, becoming one of three correspondents covering a continent undergoing dramatic changes even as it confronts worsening climate change and persistent unrest.

For the past five years, Katharine has been East Africa bureau chief for Reuters based in Nairobi, where she most recently led the news agency’s coverage of the conflict in Ethiopia, investigating ethnic cleansing in western Tigray, allegations of sexual slavery by Ethiopian and Eritrean troops, and other abuses committed against ethnic minorities and refugees by all sides.

For a second year in a row, she was part of a team honored by Reuters as journalists of the year. She has previously produced in-depth reporting on U.S. military activity in Somalia, illuminating what she called “America’s sprawling, secret war on terror,” and anchored deeply reported projects about Africa’s struggle to confront the coronavirus pandemic.

Katharine is a lover of good yarns and rich characters and has a flair for narratives and profiles. In her new role, she will share coverage of sub-Saharan Africa with Rachel Chason, our new West Africa bureau chief, and will be responsible for such major countries as Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia as well as continental heavyweight South Africa.

A self-described “muckraker, traveler, adventuress,” Katharine has been reporting from Africa for most of the past two decades, including for the Associated Press. As a young freelancer, she recalls, she covered three civil wars, five elections, various riots, a coup attempt and a warlord’s trial — all in less than a two-year period. She began her journalistic career as an intern at the Cape Argus newspaper in Cape Town, South Africa. She has also been a correspondent for Reuters in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Katharine grew up in Houston and London and holds degrees in English from University of York (U.K.) and in international journalism from City University London. She enjoys mountain hiking and reading. She will continue to be based in Nairobi, where she lives with her husband, daughter and son. She will take up her assignment Oct. 3.