People Daily journalist Rawlings Otieno has been elected the new chairperson of the Political Journalists Association of Kenya (PJAK). He takes over from Former NTV journalist Kennedy Murithi
Murithi has been at the helm of the association for five years. Under his leadership, PJAK engaged numerous local and international organizations for the training of journalists, especially on election reporting, among other things.
“A good dancer must always know when to leave the stage,” he said as he handed over to his successor
Otieno was elected unanimously by the members during elections held by the association in Nairobi on Saturday. He will be deputized by Chemutai Goin of Citizen TV.
Having previously served as the Secretary General of PJAK, Otieno promised to steer the association to greater heights, especially in the promotion and growth of political journalism. His foremost agenda, he said, is to push for the recognition of excellence in political reporting in Kenya.
“We must find a way of giving an award to political journalists. Political journalists are active every day and it’s unfair that their efforts cannot be recognized. We want our work recognized just like our colleagues in other beats. There has been bias and something has to be done and we will do it,” he said
During the elections, Mercy Mwai from People Daily was elected the new Secretary General while Sam Owino (Daily Nation) was elected her deputy.
Mwai assured the members that the new leadership would work as a team and ensure all the members’ interests were taken care of.
“As SG, I will endeavour to grow our numbers and ensure that our members are well taken care of. I will prioritize this association in all that I do…and will make sure all the members feel appreciated. Some of us have been in this industry for long and therefore we believe we have everything it takes to lead,” she said in her acceptance speech
Luke Awich from the Star is the new Treasurer of PJAK. He takes over from Francis Gachuri (Ex-Citizen TV) and will be deputized by Mercy Murithi of Inooro TV. Patrick Vidija of Standard Media Group is the new Coordinator, whereas Winnie Miseda and Eric Biegon (KBC) will take charge of Resource Mobilization and Programs respectively.
The Association, with membership from across the country, was formed in 2015 to champion the interests of political journalists in Kenya.
