The Media Council of Kenya (MCK) has teamed up with the British High Commission (BHC) to train journalists on professional reporting of devolution.
MCK Mombasa Regional Coordinator Maureen Mudi says the move will not only aid in enhancing professionalism but also ensure that duty bearers appreciate the importance of access to information in reporting.
“Early this year, the MCK and the Council of Governors signed a pact to foster professional coverage of devolved units. This new engagement will amplify the voices and processes as we leverage on existing frameworks and processes to push this agenda,” said Ms Mudi at a meeting with officials from the British High Commission.
“There have been gaps in information flow between journalists, information holders and duty bearers at the county level, and this has in some cases escalated to media freedom violations due to inadequacy on matters touching on access to information”, she added.
The BHC Governance Adviser Con Osinde said that a pilot programme will be rolled out in the coastal region and which will be replicated in other counties across the country.
“The training will target journalists, information and communication officers at county offices and the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy”, noted Mr Osinde.
During the meeting, the duo spoke about having a training curriculum in place that would ensure that the different categories of the targeted trainees benefit from the training.