KIMC COUNCIL MEMBERS

KIMC MANAGEMENT

PARENTS

GRADUANDS

DISTINGUISHED GUESTS

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,

  • I am delighted to officiate this graduation ceremony and I congratulate all the graduands for successfully completing their studies.
  • As you may be aware, this Institution has a very proud history in media training, and today’s graduands are about to become part of that heritage.
  • In media training, this Institution has had a huge, positive influence in the country and beyond. Many distinguished media professionals have passed through this institution and are established in vibrant careers in the media, nationally and internationally.
  • With the skills acquired, you exit from this institution with the power of the pen, the microphone or the camera. This power should be used to enlighten and to foster unity for the general good of the society.
  • In this information and digital era, you will be expected to generate content and information that is harmonised with the needs of the society. By so doing, you will be able to establish your relevance and become a valuable asset to this nation and to humanity at large.
  • With digital migration, Kenya witnessed a surge of new TV stations coming up to generate local content. However, we have also witnessed an increasing reluctance by consumers to pay for content. And with the Access to Information Act in Kenya, any restriction on access is perceived as a way of compromising freedom of information.
  • To sustain the growing content and TV stations that create jobs for thousands of Kenyans, you have a critical role in ensuring that the content you generate is marketable enough to attract revenue from advertisements.
  • The broad roles of the media, of course, remain as they have always been, and that is to inform, educate and entertain. However, every society has its own unique needs. Part of your agenda will be to understand your own society, correctly analyse its needs and play a positive role in addressing those needs in a responsible manner.
  • In this era of fake news, journalists have a responsibility to authenticate not just their sources of information but also the context, to avoid propagating personal self-serving vendettas and propaganda that can polarize the country.
  • I am confident that, with the quality of training you have received in this Institution, you will uphold the highest standards of media professionalism and will not fall into the trap of fake news.
  • Careers in the media remain very popular in Kenya. I urge the KIMC Council and Management to continue expanding opportunities for aspiring students looking for good quality media and communication courses.
  • KIMC must therefore take up the challenge of expanding training opportunities to admit more students, without compromising the quality of training. I therefore challenge the KIMC’s Management to come up with innovative strategies on how to increase training opportunities for aspiring students.
  • However, even as the Institute expands its training capacity, we must realize that the skilled labour we produce far outstrips the jobs that exist in formal employment. It is therefore important to impart the students with skills that can enable them create jobs for themselves and also be job creators.
  • I encourage the graduands to familiarize themselves with the Ajira Digital Program, that is championed by my Ministry. Through this program, we aim at providing the youth with the requisite tools, training and mentorship to enable them utilize the digital platforms to make money.
  • To make the Ajira digital programme effective, the government has committed to establish and equip innovation hubs in all the constituencies with free Wi-Fi, and to provide working space for the public. We also focus on capacity building through the Training of Trainers (TOT) model, with the aim of devolving trainings for the Ajira program to prospective online workers in the counties.
  • The government targets at establishing 150 training centres to deliver the Ajira Digital curriculum and create awareness among the youth.

Ladies and gentlemen

  • The government is also cognizant that there is under exploited talent in our country. Besides Studio Mashinani, my Ministry through the Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) is implementing Sinema Mashinani in all the 47 counties, with the aim of promoting production of local films in local languages.
  • The Ministry is seeking to establish a film fund in due course, to assist the youth not only in exploiting self-employment opportunities through film production, but also enable the country to embrace diversity and tell the Kenyan story.
  • We are also pursuing co-production projects targeting international territories under the Smart Africa banner and also China, which can stir up a content appetite to over 1 billion consumers. For those of you in Television and Film Production, this is an opportunity that you should aim at exploiting fully.
  • We have been hailed as country that has a high aptitude in film production, with most of our crew base contracted to support high grossing movies and films. Your abilities should therefore not be wasted. Let us aim at bringing Kenya back as quality film and movie production powerhouse!
  • At Connected Summit 2018, I also launched the ‘Huduma Whitebox’ platform to enable the local innovators and inventors to market and sell their innovative ideas and products online. This is yet another opportunity that you, graduands, should exploit.
  • As I conclude, I wish to thank the Council and Staff of the Institute for working tirelessly to ensure that trainees leave the Institute as highly skilled and competent people.
  • May I once again congratulate today’s graduands and join your parents, guardians, teachers, friends and relatives, in wishing you God’s blessings in your chosen careers.

Thank you.