School of Journalism and US Embassy launches mentorship for Female Journalism Students

June, 8, 2016:  A group of female students from the School of Journalism are undergoing a four months mentorship program sponsored by the United States Embassy.  The mentorship program was launched today at the Tribe Hotel today.

Speaking during the launch, the Principal, Prof. Enos Njeru who was represented by Dr. Ndeti Ndati, the Director, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, thanked the US Embassy for initiating the mentorship program and for choosing the University of Nairobi. He expressed optimism that the mentorship program would be extended to other students from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.  

The senior female journalists are drawn from Nation Media,Capital FM, Kenya Broadcasting Corporation among other media house. 

Ms. Olive Burrows from Capital FM urged the students to embrace change and be prepared to work in an evolving news environment. She expressed the need for the young journalists to be versatile and be prepared to work across the spectrum, from; Television, to radio, to print to online platforms like websites and social media.

The four months mentorship program will help the students to acquire skills, the students will be mentored so that they know what to expect from a newsroom once they graduate from college. The senior women journalists aim at bringing up more women to positions of management in the media industry.

On her part, Ms. Rachael Nakitare , from Kenya Broadcasting Corporation  urged the students to embrace teamwork. She noted that it is very hard to succeed in TV production without the joint efforts of other players like script writers, cameramen, sound technicians, editors, make-up artists among others.

The mentorship program was also attended by Prof. Wambui Kiai,   former Director, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, who urged students to walk on the shoulders of giants as they navigate the tough media landscape.