Naivasha , 19th March , 2019
IEBC conducted a 3-day Building Resources in Democracy, Governance and Elections (BRIDGE) Workshop on Media and Elections in Naivasha. The workshop was the first of the 2019 Bridge Course series geared towards building the capacity of IEBC staff, the media and other stakeholders in order to increase public confidence and participation in the electoral process. The workshop attracted a total of 27 participants drawn from IEBC, Election Observation Group (ELOG), Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) and the media.
The workshop was facilitated by three BRIDGE-accredited facilitators; Ann Nderitu, EBS, Ag. ORPP, Immacluate Kassait, EBS, DVEP&C, and Albert Gogo, CEM Kitui. During the opening of the workshop the Manager, Communication and Corporate Affairs, Tabitha Mutemi, urged participants to express their ideas and opinions freely as that would provide an environment for meaningful debate on matters of elections. Mr. Gogo, on the other hand, encouraged the media to report objectively and always verify information on electoral matters as this can have dire consequences for the country. Ms. Kassait reminded the participants that true democracy depends on all contesting points of view being fairly and equitably communicated to give the people a chance to make informed choices. On her part, the Ag. ORPP Ms. Ann Nderitu explained the need for timely dissemination of election information to the media and public to mitigate the spread of rumors and fake news.
The Media and Elections Module involves training participants on electoral principles, structures and processes and how they affect media regulation, campaign, voter education. It further analyzes communication mechanisms within election management bodies (EMBs). The module also offered participants the opportunity to draft a Communication Plan.
The workshop ended on 21st March, 2019 with all participants being awarded certificates of participation.