The Media Council of Kenya (MCK) on Tuesday launched a grant program to help journalists cover the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement, MCK CEO David Omwoyo said the partnership with Open Society Initiative for Eastern Africa (OSIEA) will help facilitate reporting of COVID-19 pandemic in Kenya as part of the efforts to educate and empower the masses in the wake of the outbreak of the contagious disease.
The program will see up to 500 journalists receive between Ksh500 to Ksh25,000 which they will use to cater for travel, communication and related costs in the research, interviewing and compilation processes of their stories.
To be considered, interested MCK-accredited journalists will need to apply on the council website on or before April 30.
After the deadline, the council will pick 50 applicants per week, who will benefit from the initiative.
“We are eager to see to it that journalists are facilitated to carry out their work in this environment of depressed incomes and economic activity. The media plays a critical role in public health messaging and as such we want to ensure that we do what we can to facilitate their work for the greater public good,” said Omwoyo.
On his part, MCK Head of Media Development and Strategy Victor Bwire said successful applicants will also undergo virtual training sessions facilitated by the council.
“We will go beyond issuing of grants to successful applicants, to also ensuring that some virtual capacity-building takes place via online platforms to enable the journalists to improve on their writing and submit health stories that meet a quality mark judged by audience interest response, ” said Bwire.
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