Capital FM Sports editor Alex Isaboke (centre) with other SJAK officials, Michelle Katami (left) and Wanjiku Mwenda (right). PHOTO/Erick Baraza
NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 11- Capital FM Sports Editor Alex Isaboke has been elected unopposed as the treasurer of the Sports Journalists Association of Kenya (SJAK) during the fourth Annual general Meeting that also acted as an elective congress on Saturday.
Isaboke was elected after the previous office holder, Evelyn Watta, who is also a member of the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) Executive Committee chose not to stand re-election instead opting for one of the four committee member slots.
President Chris Mbaisi, the Sports Editor at the Star Newspaper and his deputy James Magayi of The People Daily and Secretary General Mike Okinyi of Royal media Services were also elected unopposed.
K24 sports anchor Wanjiku Mwenda was elected the association’s organizing secretary while Michelle Katami of BBC, Vereso Mwanga of KBC, Samson Ateka of The Star newspaper and Watta will serve as executive committee members.
Members of the Sports Journalists Association of Kenya (SJAK) pose for a photo after the elective General Assembly. PHOTO/Erick Baraza
Torome Tirike of K24, Rebecca Magoma of Standard Newspaper and Idris Situma of BBC did not defend their seats in the executive committee.
SJAK was inaugurated in 2014 and has since been in the forefront in shaping the quality of sports journalism with annual workshops to educate reporters on ethics, doping and sports writing skills.
SJAK has a poll of 136 registered members drawn from various media houses.
Through SJAK’s affiliation with Association of International Sports Press (AIPS) a number of reporters from the writers drawn from various publications have been offered training and exposure in global athletics events like IAAF World Championships and Diamond League meetings.
Mbaisi was overly excited that SJAK has surpassed its targets over the past four years and indeed punched above its weight in as far as SJAK progress is concerned.
Members of the Sports Journalists Association of Kenya (SJAK) pose for a photo after the elective General Assembly. PHOTO/Erick Baraza
“Our self-less courses have continued to attract corporate support to enable us motivate athletes, players and their technical staff who happen to be the backbone of the games we dutifully report on. As far as the improvement of our members is concerned, we have held several seminars across the country covering various topics of interest to our trade.” Mbaisi said.
Mbaisi congratulated his team for successfully hosting the AIPS Africa Congress in Nairobi, adding that the good reception and treatment of the guests has remained the talk of the continent.
“Wherever we ha e gone Kenya has been used as the benchmark of what AIPS Africa Congress should look like. In Brussels last May, Nairobi and SJAK were the talk of talk of the AIPS Congress,” added Mbaisi.
Meanwhile, Watta called on SJAK to play a leading role in sensitizing the local sporting fraternity on the anti-doping menace which has been envisaged as the biggest impediment to the development of the sporting industry in the country.
