The Media Council of Kenya has begun the process of developing the 2022 General Election training manual for journalists. This follows the Council’s establishment of a team of experts to develop a training manual on coverage of the 2022 polls.
The process comes after the successful completion of the media industry-driven review and development of the 2022 Guidelines on Elections Coverage, which was rolled out in September last year. The Guidelines were endorsed by 23 key media players including media associations, media houses, media training institutions and Government agencies involved in elections.
The team of experts is drawn from the newsrooms, industry and highly experienced journalists, media trainers and editors.
The manual is aimed at harmonising the training of journalists on elections reporting across the country including ensuring quality and expertise. Once completed, the document will undergo quality control before the launch to pave way for a countrywide training and capacity building for journalists and media practitioners.
Media Council of Kenya’s Director for Media Training and Development Mr Victor Bwire commended the experts for accepting the task and called for their devotion as it was their contribution to the media industry and the country.
“As we develop the manual, let us think about the face of Kenya and the changing media landscape. Think about the FM stations and freelance journalists who operate without structures or established editorial policies”, noted Mr Bwire.
He noted that the Council was keen on the composition the technical committee by taking into consideration the different institutional capacities and competencies required to develop the manual.
“We drew membership of this technical committee from the industry and the academia and also looked at other considerations such as gender and experience to make it representative. We urge sincerity and integrity in executing the role”, said Mr Bwire.
MCK’s Assistant Director for Media Training and Curriculum Development Ms Christine Nguku noted the importance of the training manual on elections reporting guidelines, saying it will create a level ground on elections trainings.
“We are coming up with a standardised which will also see that we do not lose out on the important things that journalists need to look out for while reporting”, said Ms Nguku.
She underscored the need of having editors on board as part of the development team, saying that this would take care of the news value while emphasing on ethics.
The manual will be used to build capacity of journalists some of whom work in community radio stations in far-flung areas which may not have capacity. It will include the use of case studies to create an understanding amongst trainees on how to cover elections.
Media academic Dr James Oranga was nominated as the Chair of the committee at its first sitting. He will be assisted by Kenya Broadcasting Corporation’s Ms Racheal Nakitare.
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