2 October 2019
A new trainee scheme for journalists with disabilities in Kenya – Aim High – has been announced by BBC Director-General Tony Hall. The scheme is coming after development initiatives to train the next generation of African journalists and producers to world class standards.
Tony Hall, who is visiting the BBC bureau in Kenya, says the new initiative will offer three-month placements to three aspiring journalists with disabilities, starting from next April (2020). During the placement, they will spend their time at the Nairobi bureau working with news teams in different African languages and working on television programmes as well as digital production.
The placements will be open to anyone with a disability, hidden or visible, who is interested or experienced in journalism.
Tony Hall says: “The BBC has a long-standing commitment to Africa and telling African stories, reaching more than 100 million people every week. We want to develop independent journalism on the continent, and to support those whose voices often don’t get heard. We know it’s hard for people with disabilities to get opportunities in journalism. Aim High will give aspiring journalists with disabilities hands on experience, bespoke training and mentoring, and I urge people to apply.”
Further details of how to apply will be announced shortly.
Tony Hall is in Kenya to celebrate the BBC’s success in Africa. The broadcaster operates in 13 languages across the continent and has launched more than 20 new television programmes over the last 18 months, from sport to business to the award-winning investigative programme Africa Eye. The BBC’s bureau in Nairobi is now its biggest outside the UK.
Tony Hall will announce the launch of BBC’s first co-production in Kenya. Kenya Connects, produced in partnership with KTN, is a current affairs programme aimed at young people.
He will also celebrate the winner of the Komla Dumor award, announced earlier this week. Solomon Serwanjja, from Uganda, will spend time at the BBC HQ in London before producing a special report on a subject of his choice from Africa.
(Source: BBC press release)
12 December 2014
The Kenyan government has ordered that news agency Al Jazeera be investigated and face possible charges, over the network’s recent report alleging that the Kenyan police had been running death squads, with the knowledge of Western powers.
The Al Jazeera documentary, Inside Kenya’s Death Squads, asserted that the most high-profile assassinations were aimed at Muslim leaders, including those with links to the al-Shabab militant group and that Western intelligence agencies provided some of the information needed to carry out the killings.
The controversy comes just as Kenyan lawmakers in the country’s National Assembly are fiercely debating new security laws, which include proposals to limit picketing and holding public meetings.
The twitter feed of Kenya’s Interior CNG Ministry has promoted a hashtag #SecuringKenya, and responded to the Al Jazeera documentary in a series of tweets:
Govt has instructed relevant authorities to begin investigations with a view to bringing charges against those involved in…cont’d.
…Aljazeera documentary..
The documentary was deliberately planned & aired at a time when Kenya is seeking support to strengthen it’s war against terror.. cont’d
Cont’d through legislative reforms.
The tone & subjective nature of the documentary was deliberately skewed to support & empathise with terrorists & their sympathisers cont’d..
cont’d…without any consideration for the hundreds of innocent Kenyans who have died in the hands of terrorists.
The timing of the documentary is also suspicious & appears meant to derail KE’s efforts to fight terrorism.
Three Al Jazeera journalists, Mohamed Fahmy, Peter Greste and Baher Mohamed, have been jailed by Egyptian authorities for almost a year.
29 August 2013
Intelsat S.A. (NYSE: I), the world’s leading provider of satellite services, and Japan-based SoftBank Mobile Corp. today announced the successful trial of a cost-effective, rural 3G mobile phone service in Kenya. Intelsat supported the demonstration through capacity on the Intelsat 10 satellite and via the company’s teleport in Fuchsstadt, Germany.
The demonstration reinforced Intelsat’s ability to deliver a high throughput, managed VSAT-based 3G solution through the allocation of capacity based on traffic demands. Intelsat’s fleet and IntelsatOne terrestrial network were instrumental in enabling the deployment in rural Kenya, an area of Africa not supported by traditional land line infrastructure.
“There are still hundreds of millions of people who live outside mobile network coverage areas today,” said Junichi Miyakawa, executive vice president, director & CTO of SoftBank Mobile. “Harnessing SoftBank’s technology in rural parts of the world literally matches our corporate philosophy, ‘Information Revolution – Happiness for everyone.’ I hope this technology will make communication even more free and convenient for people around the world.”
“The successful field trial of a cost-effective, managed VSAT-based, rural 3G service delivery solution is an excellent example of the collaborative innovation that our industry requires to properly support the demands of its end users,” said Intelsat vice president of network services product management Steve Good.
“We are confident that technology advancements, such as this and our Intelsat EpicNG platform, will allow mobile operators to provide reliable, ubiquitous support to their most remote users, and provide a robust broadband infrastructure as networks upgrade from 2G to 3G, and eventually to 4G via satellite.”
SoftBank Mobile also utilizes the Intelsat 8 satellite and a managed service offering via the IntelsatOne terrestrial network for the delivery of cellular and data backhaul services to its customers across the southern islands of Japan. The agreement enables SoftBank Mobile to expand its service area and enhance the company’s offerings to customers in this geographically dispersed section of Japan.
31 January 2013
Numerous threats hang over Kenya as it heads to the polls on March 4. As journalists and news crews prepare to cover the election, they are advised to take note of the security situation there.
More than 1,000 people died and 600,000 were displaced when inter-ethnic fighting broke out around the disputed last election in 2007.
In April this year, four Kenyans – including Uhuru Kenyatta, a frontrunner in the 2013 election – will face trial before the International Criminal Court (ICC) for their alleged role in the 2007-2008 post-election violence.
And with the stakes for political power so high, the risk of local violence during the race to replace president Mwai Kibaki is apparent.
Threats ahead of the upcoming Kenyan elections
The tension surrounding the elections is now fuelled by the political unrest and a degree of anti-western feeling in the northern African countries. Kidnapping in some areas in support of insurgents operating in and around Mali is just one of many acts of violence predicted during the upcoming Kenyan elections.
A number of fatal ambushes were reported last month on the road from Archers Post to Marsabit. The MP for Saku, Hussein Tari Sasura, was fired at by an individual dressed in a police uniform while being driven on the road.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has also reported a spate of grenade, IED and armed attacks in Nairobi, Mombasa and Garissa, and said that further attacks are likely. It says there is a possibility of attacks specifically targeting election-related activity.
An unconfirmed report that an unknown number of hostages have been taken from Mandera in Kenya on the shared Somalia/ Ethiopia border may be seen as just the start. The hostage takers claim that they will execute the hostages if al-Qaeda suspects held in Kenya are not released by 14 Feb, so already the events of the region are starting to affect this election.
General top tips for travel to Kenya
1. Time is GMT +3 hours
2. UK style three pin plugs are used
3. Only plan to use one credit card if you have to, so clear before you take it and use one with a low limit, so you can determine exactly what has been spent, in case of fraud.
4. Don’t use debit cards in Africa if at all possible, you are more protected by credit cards for loss.
5. If you have to use an ATM, use one inside a bank
6. Take cash – Sterling, US Dollars and Euros and make sure you have Kenyan Shilling- small denominations
7. Ensure you have high factor sunscreen if working outside, as the sun is hot, but remember it can also be cold at night, so take appropriate clothing.
8. Expect heavy rain showers during the rainy seasons, so take a strong umbrella or light raincoat. The “long rains” are from March-June so around the time of the elections. Be prepared as they can be torrential.
9. Take mosquito repellent, if going outside Nairobi and assess the areas you are going to for malaria risk; consult your doctor about which vaccinations you require and whether or not you need anti malaria tablets.
10. Ensure you carry photocopies of your travel documents and other vital documents as well as an electronic copy on a flash disk/ on the internet in case your originals get stolen or lost.
Flights to Kenya and getting in/immigration
It is easy to fly to Kenya on one of the many regular airlines operating. The airport can be mayhem at certain times of the day and the usual airport scams may be expected. Have an agreed identification process with your driver (know their name, phone number and the make and model/registration number of their car). It is easy to get picked up by the wrong person.
Kenya is an English speaking country, but bear in mind your accent will be different and allow people to get used to your accent by speaking slightly slower at first and more clearly. Try to avoid slang.
UK citizens need a visa. Depending on how long and what you are doing you may need to get this in advance. You can get visas at the airport on arrival, however you will need to check if this is possible with your citizenship and for what you are doing and length of stay.
It is always useful to have a letter from your company stating that you will return to the UK and what your position is there, as well as to show you have the funds to support yourself whilst there. Or some sort of accreditation to your company and preferably some sort of press card. You will need to be accredited to film in Kenya, after you arrive.
It is worth having a yellow fever certificate in case you go on anywhere else in Africa after this assignment. If you are arriving from somewhere which has yellow fever, you may need to show the certificate.
You will have to fill in a landing card on arrival and another one for exit, prior to going through immigration.
Be careful about using personal addresses; bear in mind your own personal security when travelling. Try to use your work address for the airport as well as the hotel.
Your luggage
Your luggage gets delivered on belts on the other side of passport control, after your passport has been stamped. Trolleys are free, but if you have a lot of kit, you are better to hire a porter who will then push and shove on your behalf if required to get your bags.
The area where the baggage comes out is open and you sometimes need to show your luggage tags as you leave to prove the bags are yours, so don’t throw them away. Keep a close eye on things as it all comes out to ensure that nobody else takes your bags. If your host has a protocol officer you can use them to get you through.
Accommodation
There are a lot of good hotels in Nairobi, however, if you are staying down town, then watch your personal security at night and be aware that it is inadvisable to walk around at night.
Do use the safes in the rooms as long as they are attached to something but don’t leave all your money there (split it up).
Moving around Kenya
If you are going to drive around Nairobi at night, then pay attention. Carjacking and robbery are common at traffic lights and as people arrive home. Around the time of the elections expect to find more security checkpoints and have your documents ready.
Make sure you know if there are curfews, which may be in place if there is violence. Make sure you have a good fixer and driver, know where you are going, be prepared for anything.
Be conscious that outside Nairobi, there are few streetlights and cars can sometimes drive without headlights in the more rural areas.
If you are going up country, then make sure your vehicle is prepared and you have adequate provisions. Punctures do happen so make sure you have a spare tyre and jack to change it.
Information
You need to have good sources of information to make sure you know what is going on, speak to local contacts and ensure your driver/fixer is tapped into the local media and security forces if possible, so you get up to date information.
Health
The water is not always the cleanest to drink, so don’t drink the water at all; use bottled water. If you want to be ultra careful, brush your teeth in it too. Be careful of what you eat outside Nairobi (no salads etc) as hygiene standards are very different. Take water purification tablets, as there is no guarantee of always getting bottled water up country and you may run out.
MAKE SURE ALL YOUR INNOCULATIONS ARE UP TO DATE.
Make sure you have good travel insurance, as Kenya does not have free hospitals for foreigners. Malaria tablets are a must if in the season and going to malaria areas.
Communications
There is talk of the Kenyan Government shutting down the mobile phone networks and the internet in the event of civil uprising. INSI suggests that, to get around this, you buy multiple SIM cards from all the providers in Kenya as they may only shut down the “Big Two” at first (Airtel and Safaricom) so Orange and the YU network may work.
Ensure you have an effective and reliable means to transmit out of the country.
Take an unlocked phone, and use the local simcards. You will have to top up on credit. Make sure you top up to the maximum and top up whenever you can.
If you can get access to a satphone it is recommended to take one to be safe, if you are going up country. Kenya has good mobile coverage, although out of Nairobi it can sometimes be intermittent and see above for shutting it off in times of unrest. The internet can sometimes be unreliable at times in the hotels.
In the event of power and comms going down, having a battery operated radio would be useful as many Embassies will be sending out communiques over the radio and this will allow you to receive those.
Kit to take
Take a good first aid kit with a set of needles and dental emergency kit too as the hospitals can sometimes lack equipment out of Nairobi
Take torches, as electricity often fails
Take all hostile environment emergency equipment – plug for sinks, wet wipes (as water often goes off) etc. 2 pin adaptor with surge protector for electronic kit.
Camera equipment
Equipment clearance on arrival in Kenya – INSI has heard from sources in Nairobi that Filming Licenses/Permits will be required to clear equipment arriving into the country even if it is only for news coverage (currently equipment for news coverage doesn’t need a temporary Customs Bond)
Check nearer the time of the elections as to what the regulations are, so that you avoid any nasty surprises or huge fees on arrival to purchase customs bonds.
Contact INSI if you require an equipment list or further information for working in hostile environments
Hannah Storm (Director of INSI) – hannah.storm@newssafety.org
