Chuka: In an effort to understand the role of the Media Council of Kenya in the reporting industry, my mind stretched to the announcement by the body that it will soon create media hubs and open media houses across the country. While addressing a team of journalists at the Ndagani outskirts of Chuka town in the last week of January this year, MCK CEO David Omwoyo disclosed that the regulatory body would soon create media hubs with collaborative media spaces to allow journalists from different media houses to work together.
According to Kenya News Agency, the CEO further revealed that the body is to open media houses across the country in order to create employment opportunities. Omwoyo decried the sorry state of the media fraternity and called for improvement in the working conditions for journalists in order to enhance their professionalism in coverage of events. The CEO expressed grave concerns about their working conditions, particularly in county and regional jurisdictions.
Emphasising the dire situation many journalists face, Omwoyo outlined several critical issues that need to be addressed in order to enable journalists to remain impartial in their reporting. He pointed out that many journalists are experiencing extreme delays in receiving their salaries, which has created significant financial hardships. Further, the CEO highlighted the lack of dedicated workspace for journalists, forcing many to work in sub-optimal conditions.
Additionally, Omwoyo brought attention to the absence of formal contracts for some journalists, resulting in uncertain payment terms and a lack of job security. This situation, he argued, undermines the stability and professionalism of the media industry and poses a serious threat to press freedom. Omwoyo emphasized the need for a safe working environment and collaborative workspaces. ‘It’s a threat to press freedom,’ he stated, urging media owners to establish clear employment terms to protect journalists’ rights and privileges.
‘We will work as the Media Council to create media hubs with collaborative spaces where journalists from different media houses can work together,’ Omwoyo announced and went ahead to reveal that the council also intends to set up media houses across the country to provide employment opportunities. He said the initiative aims to enable young people pursuing media-related courses to generate content for local and international platforms, including social media groups.
Omwoyo’s visit was a fact-finding mission to assess the current situation on the ground. He discussed long-term plans to enhance journalists’ working conditions by establishing new training programmes and forging partnerships with international media organizations. While agreeing that most journalists working conditions are dire, I am yet to come to terms with how a regulatory body will engage in the same business as a way of addressing the existing challenges. Will there not be a conflict of interest and a great probability that the expected media house giant will drive all the other competitors out of the industry altogether?