Media Council of Kenya will start issuing press cards to comedians, technicians, broadcast engineers, continuity presenters, and talk show hosts starting January 2020.
In a statement, MCK chief executive officer David Omwoyo said the council has developed new guidelines that that must be adhered to before they get accreditation.
“The MCK has developed a new set of guidelines for accreditation as per the Media Council of Kenya act. comedians, technicians, broadcast engineers, Continuity presenters, and Talk show hosts will now be required to get accreditation,” read the statement in part.
The guidelines also stated that before accreditation, the named people will be required to undergo a mandatory seven-day course on media law and ethics to be provided by the MCK Academy.
The Council has further revealed that new press cards will have enhanced features such as magnetic strip, micro-chip, and color coding. However, the new accreditation fees was not revealed with the council saying they are in the process of reviewing the subject.
It has further declared that effective from July 1, 2019, the press cards will be valid up to December 2019, after which the new accreditation will kick off in January to March 2020.
“Expired Press Cards will need to be returned to the MCK before renewal. From 2020, accreditation will be valid for one calendar year running from January to December,” added MCK.
The new guidelines are set to redefine journalism practice in the country and weed out unaccredited journalists who have been accused of blackmail and poor ethics when it comes to speaking about various issues.