Journalist Training

Journalist Training Grant and Mentorship

On the 29^th of November 2017 to the 1^st of December 2017, the Action for Transparency project team organised and conducted an Investigative and Data Journalism training at United States International University-Africa (USIU) for mainstream, freelancers, bloggers and journalism students working in Nairobi.
The project partnered with USIU as to conduct the training of 45 mainstream, citizen, and freelance journalists, journalism students and bloggers. The training was aimed at empowering journalists with skills to investigate cases of suspected corruption or mismanagement of public funds and analyse financial/budgetary information to reveal gaps affecting the health and education sectors. Each journalist was offered an opportunity to pitch an investigative story idea on corruption. 10 story ideas were selected by a panellist and offered grants and mentorship, to enable the journalists investigate corruption.

After the training, the project engaged 5 mentors, who are veteran experienced journalists to mentor 10 journalists who were selected for award of grants and mentorship. These mentors included:

• Victor Bwire – Deputy CEO, Programmes Manager – Media Council of Kenya
• Edward Wanyoni – Media Consultant – Oxfam
• William Ogonda – Media Consultant
• Churchill Otieno – Editor- Nation Media Group
• Nancy Booker – Lecturer – Aga Khan University Graduate School of Communication

Investigative Stories

Eight (8) grantees have done an amazing work in investigating corruption in different sectors to reveal these stories;

• Unearthing The Sanitation Crisis Within Nairobi’s Public Schools
• Corruption In Embakasi South National Government Constituency Development Fund
• Kenya’s Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis Burden
• How medical negligence is robbing families of loved ones
• Toxic sip: How safe is your bottled water?
• Mothers ignorant of Linda Mama miss out on free delivery services
• NHIF Heist: Blowing cover on how millions are swindled through fictitious private hospital claims  
• REVEALED: How CDF-funded school bus was branded with ODM, Wiper colours