• Out of the 371, 162 beneficiaries will report on climate change, 150 on gender-based violence and 59 on constitutional/legislative development.
• The mixed grant which was unveiled in June is the first of its kind offered by the Council in a bid to develop a pool of journalists versed in various key public interest issues.
The Media Council of Kenya has awarded 371 journalists grants to support reporting on climate change, gender-based violence and constitutional/ legislative development in the country.
In a statement released on Thursday, MCK CEO David Omwoyo said the journalists will each receive grants of up to Sh10,000 as support for travel, communication and meals during data collection and story writing.
Out of the 371, 162 beneficiaries will report on climate change, 150 on gender-based violence and 59 on constitutional/legislative development.
He added that the mixed grant which was unveiled in June is the first of its kind offered by the Council in a bid to develop a pool of journalists versed in various key public interest issues.
Beneficiaries will be mentored on how to advance their journalism skills on interrogation, interviewing sources, framing, unpacking and simplifying and interpreting complex data.
"The high number of applications received for these grants is an indication that journalists are keen on gaining skills in different areas of reporting. There is a great need for specialised reporting in the country to ensure that journalists have vast knowledge on various topical issues, and which can be relayed accurately to the audiences," Omwoyo said.
He also stated that this is the largest number of beneficiaries awarded since the beginning of the grants programme and their aim is to create an impact and a shift on how some of these stories are covered and reported.
"We hope to see more stories in the above areas that will not only communicate but also which play aa key role in provoking action," he said.