By Staff Writer | Wajir Today | Monday, 15 December 2025
Journalists in Wajir County have been urged to uphold media ethics and professionalism to strengthen community dialogue and peacebuilding.
The call came during the second annual 2025 Wajir County Media Summit, organised by Media Citizens Front (MCF), an organisation dedicated to advancing the media landscape through citizen engagement.
The summit, themed “Journalists as Architects of Peace and Community Dialogue”, offered a platform to promote the role of responsible journalism in fostering cohesion and dialogue.
Journalists’ role
A representative from the Kenya Editors Guild (KEG) encouraged local journalists to pursue fairness, truth, and objectivity in reporting.
Mr Ken Bosire, a KEG member, urged journalists to focus on positive stories that change the local narrative.
“We want to encourage positive stories, bringing aspects of peace and community dialogue and doing what we call responsible journalism,” he said.
He also highlighted the potential of citizen journalism to bring community-focused stories to the fore.
“The big message is that we have to tell the complete story as we shift into what we call citizen journalism. There are big stories coming out of Wajir. Media today, despite the challenges, is thriving at the county level, and Wajir is at the epicentre of media in this region,” Mr Bosire added.
KEG pledged to build the capacity of local journalists and partner with MCF to improve standards.
“This speaks to our key mandate of mentorship, training, and partnerships. We want to expand and work with the next generation of editors and journalists. We will create partnerships and provide the training that is needed,” said Mr Bosire.
He also praised journalists’ contribution to peacebuilding, cohesion, and regional development.
“I have just seen very many journalists who have the capacity to change the narrative of Wajir and the northern frontier regions,” he said.
Journalists were further encouraged to embrace technology in storytelling and monetise content as a form of job security.
Peace building
MCF Executive Board Chairperson, Ms Quresha Ali Maow, emphasised the active role of journalists in fostering understanding and peace.
“We, the storytellers, are more than observers. We are builders of bridges, weavers of understanding, and gentle hands that hold the fragile threads of peace,” she said.
She hailed journalists as amplifiers of community voices that contribute to peacebuilding, democracy, and development while urging them to prioritise community interests in their reporting.
“Let us rise like dawn over our county. Let us tell stories that mend wounds. Let us build peace with our words, and let our voices echo hope across every village, every street, every heart,” Ms Maow said.
The summit brought together 35 journalists and partner organisations, providing a space to exchange ideas, strengthen professional skills, and explore ways media can contribute to peace-building, civic engagement, and development in Wajir County.
