The workshop aimed at strengthening capacity of community radio practitioners on editorial, programming and monitoring matters, gauge gender sensitivity in local radios’ content and operations, including scheduling strategies for their stations. It also aimed at equipping the participants with requisite skills on investigative journalism as a method of holding local county governments accountable to their local audiences in their communities in Kenya.

During the workshop, participants were taken through the following topics; editorial principles and guidelines for broadcasting, radio formats, ethical content generation, gender and radio programming, media ethics for practice of journalism in Kenya, media programming code for broadcasting Kenya among other areas.

Ms Nasibo Abduba, News editor and Reporter at Baliti FM stated that “I am very happy to have attended this training workshop on editorial programming, gender mainstreaming and investigative journalism. This workshop has enabled me appreciate the importance of working within editorial principles and guidelines as a journalist practicing in Kenya.”

At the end of workshop, Mr. Victor Bwire, Deputy Director at Media Council of Kenya informed the participants that “It is important that radio managers should consider the target audience when formulating in-house editorial principles and guidelines. As successful enforcement of the editorial principles and guidelines only depends on how well they are understood by all staff at each radio stations.”

The workshop attracted participation of 14 radio practitioners comprising of 8 men and 6 women drawn from 4 community radios namely; Baliti FM (Isiolo county), Bulala FM (Busia county), Koch FM (Nairobi county) and Kwale Ranet FM (Kwale county) in Kenya.

This workshop was organized as part of UNESCOs continuing media development initiatives in the region under its ongoing SIDA funded project themed: “Empowering Local Radios with ICTs” in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.