The Media Council will start replacing old press cards from Monday, February 6 as it moves to issue new ones with enhanced verification features aimed at ridding the industry of quacks.
In a statement on Friday, CEO David Omwoyo said the 2023 Press Cards that had already been issued stand cancelled and recalled effective January 27.
"Following increased incidences of misrepresentation by persons bearing Media Council of Kenya (MCK) accreditation cards and reported cases of forgeries of the cards, effective today, 27 January 2023, all Media Council Press Cards are hereby cancelled and recalled," Omwoyo said.
In a previous communication earlier in the day, Omwoyo said the new cards will contain enhanced verification features to ease the identification of genuine journalists.
"The new cards will include a barcode and QR code that can be scanned using any smartphone," the statement read.
The move is aimed at ridding the media industry of quack journalists who have been flooding the industry over the years with the sole intention of defrauding unsuspecting Kenyans and guests at events.
“It has come to our attention that there is an escalation of fraudsters masquerading as journalists and media practitioners who get access to events to extort and harass people,” Omwoyo said.
He said the replacement of the press cards will be done at no cost.
Omwoyo said the old cards can be submitted at the MCK offices at Britam Centre in Upper Hill or the council's regional offices in Nakuru, Mombasa, Meru and Kisumu.
"We encourage renewal or application of press cards e-cards through our portal to avoid any inconveniences," Omwoyo said.
He said other than the MCK press cards, all Special Movement Passes issued during the Covid-19 period is invalid and should be surrendered to the council.
