The Media Council of Kenya (MCK) has unveiled a grant to help accredited journalists tell impactful stories about the COVID-19 virus that will help the country better its chances of beating the pandemic.
In a statement on Friday, MCK said there are upto 100 grants up for grabs set aside for this cause and only journalists accredited with the council will be able to apply for the funding
The grant limit per applicant is between Ksh1,000 to Ksh25,000 to cover communication, travel, meals, and virtual mentorship.
While applying for the grant, journalists will be required to present a health story idea. They will then be required to state the proposed sources, angle of the story and outline what makes their story idea unique in not more than 150 words.
Besides that, the applying journalist is also expected to provide proof of an editor committing to run the story.
The council is also slated to hold an awards ceremony at a later date where the winning story categories will be determined by the uniqueness and strength of the story and the impact the piece will have.
The deadline for application is on June 15, 2020 at midnight.
“The emergency response to the COVID-19 outbreak and the related gaps in the public health ecosystem have changed the national discourse on access to health in Kenya. This has increased demand for information by the public in dealing with the virus,” the MCK said in a statement.
“More is needed on the country’s health policies, health budgeting, staffing, facilities and overall preparedness for disease outbreak at National and County levels,” added the statement.
Application Procedure
- Apply for the grant on the council’s website
- Fill the application form
- Application form should contain
- (a) Signature of the editor committing to run the story
- (b) Stamp of the media house that will run the story
- (c) Editor’s contact e-mail address
- Story idea synopsis in not more than 150 words
- Application should be submitted via e-mail to [email protected] with Health Reporting Grant in the Subject Field
- Grantees should make sure that their stories are published by July 15, 2020.
COVID-19 in Kenya
As of Friday, Kenya’s Coronavirus cases stood at 2,474 after 134 more patients tested positive for the disease.
Seventy nine Kenyans had succumbed to the disease while 643 had recovered.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has already projected that the virus might be around for a while prompting the Kenyan government consider reopening the economy.
