When action follows the broadcast of a story, journalists’ attempts to act on behalf of ordinary citizens are validated.
This has been the case with several of the land related stories produced by Internews trainees.
In September this year, the Ministry of Land responded to the Mau and Embombut evictees’ plight, giving them funds to be resettled with immediate effect. The Ministry also gave out over 9,000 title deeds in Magarini and Changamwe settlement schemes at the Coast. Internews trainees Diana Wanyonyi of Baraka FM and Omar Aboud of Radio Salam had just produced stories on these two schemes.
Rashid Mwango of Nairobi based Pamoja FM was awarded a travel grant to go to the Coast province to report on the absentee landlord issue in Mombasa Island. He interviewed Ahmed Mohdar, the Mayor of Mombasa, who said that absentee landlords were the cause of conflicts between private developers and the locals. In the story, a proposal for the resolution of conflict is discussed. This proposal is soon to be debated by the Municipal Council of Mombasa.
Mombasa journalists have done a number of stories which have had immediate impact. Ria Dzombo of Pwani FM, Diana Wanyonyi of Baraka FM, Timah Kisasa of Pwani FM and Jacob Safari of Sheki FM report that interviewees have highlighting land problems have since received legal support from MUHURI and interest from the government to address their land ownership problems.
Ria Dzombo of Pwani FM visited Mwakirunge and Kitimbo during the post workshop mentoring session to find out more about people who had been attacked by a community claiming ownership of their so called ‘native land’. Ria interviewed an old woman whose shoulder was hacked and fingers chopped off during the attack. After her story was broadcast, the old lady was offered medical help.
