Uasin Gishu county has commended the collaboration it has had with journalists in dissemination of news and information to the public to enable them to make informed decisions about service delivery.
Speaking to journalists during a media engagement meeting in a hotel in Eldoret town, organized by the county courtesy of Eldoret Professional Journalists Association (EPJA), Uasin Gishu Governor Dr. Jonathan Chelilim lauded the role played by the members of the fourth estate in informing and shaping up the society which has enabled the administration achieve key milestones in terms of implementing its Nguzo Kumi development agenda which covers various sectors of economy like agriculture, Health, Education among others.
Additionally, he acknowledged the positive image the media fraternity has helped portray for the county which is now closer to becoming a city county through outstanding coverage of international events like the devolution conference 2023 and others.
He welcomed positive criticism from the media noting that it is crucial to make necessary amendments to certain courses of the government administration which will further help in improving the way services are administered to the county citizens.
At the same time, the governor lauded the media’s role of gathering and airing public opinions from the citizens regarding various development projects, which he said is key in terms of feedback to inform the County government on how the public perceives or intends to consume certain services and hence enabling it to device adjustments to improve to the public.
Dr. Chelilim assured journalists of his maximum support in terms of enhanced media engagement through access to information across all the departments to enable them to tell stories more elaborately.
“I want us to engage, report objectively so that we may send unbiased messages to the public, confirm stories from concerned departments for authenticity, and not rely on social media sources seeking to propagate propaganda which may end up misleading the public toward a particular course,” he said.
Noting that his administration had been keen on engaging the media on many occasions, he hinted that he will plan on a meeting with the committee of the EPJA at the beginning of the new year 2024 to deliberate on the roadmap and agree on proper mechanisms to enhance engagement between the county and the journalists on how to access information about the county’s Nguzo Kumi development agenda.
The journalists’ association had decried what it termed as a weakening relationship between the media and the new County administration which had limited their access to proper information to facilitate their oversight role as the voice of the voiceless in the society.
The journalists through the association’s Chairperson Mr. Luka Cherono acknowledged the county’s efforts to enhance maximum engagement with the members of the press noting that it is key in ensuring the public consumes credible and factual news and information that will enable them to make informed decisions in their day to day lives.
The chair’s sentiments were echoed by the county executives present led by ICT and Youth Affairs CECM Eng. Lucy Njoroge noted the role of the media is critical in influencing attitudes, and shaping up public opinion and others.
She added that the media are key partners in terms of development by informing the public about the development projects of the county and enabling them to make informed consumption of the county government’s agenda.
The county executive called on the journalists to source information about development from various documents like the County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP) and others to assess the level of implementation of the projects outlined in the plans to document news stories based on accurate and reliable information.
In his remarks, Chief of Staff Mr. Nicholas Chepkwony suggested that the county government will conduct media engagement every quarter to outline various steps it has made in the fulfilment of its development agenda in line with the Nguzo Kumi blueprint.
Others present were county executives, Dr. Janet Kosgei (Lands and Housing), Eng. Martha Cheruto (Trade and Industrialization) and other senior county officials.
By Ekuwam Sylvester
