Image: COURTESY
President William Ruto has revoked the appointment of former KTN journalist Kathleen Openda as the Chairperson of the Council of the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication.
At the same time, the Head of State has appointed former Police Spokesperson Charles Owino to the position.
In a Gazette Notice issued on September 27, 2023, Owino will serve in the position until October 5th, 2024.
“… I William Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and commander-in-chief of the Defense Forces, appoint,
Charles Owino Wahong’o to be the Chairperson of the council of the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication, with effect from the 29th, of September 2023 up to the 5th of October 2024.
The Appointment of Kathleen Openda is revoked," the notice read in part.
Kathleen is a Kenyan journalist and former television host with the Kenya Television Network.
She received an Eisenhower Fellowship and was a Chevening Scholar.
In 2018, she was appointed Chairperson of the Council of the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication.
Owino was appointed in July 2023 to serve as the UDA Siaya County party coordinator.
Owino joined the ODM party when he first declared his bid for Siaya County’s top seat.
One month later he abandoned the party and joined UDM after failing to secure the party nomination ticket.
The Kenya Institute of Mass Communication (KIMC) was established in 1961 and was named the then Voice of Kenya Training School.
It was the pioneer media training institute in the country whose main purpose was to train electronic engineers and technicians for the then, Kenya Broadcasting Service (KBS), which was later rebranded in 1962 as the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC).
KBC was then nationalised in 1964 and changed its brand to Voice of Kenya (VOK).
The institution was also to serve the Ministry of Information which equally lacked qualified journalists, program producers, announcers and other cadre relevant in the field of mass communication.
The training of media middle level personnel is supported by the government through funding of the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication.
KIMC offers a variety of courses including post-graduate diploma, diploma and certificate courses that equip graduates with knowledge of the industry.
KIMC has grown into one of the most respected institutions of its kind in Africa admitting students not only from Kenya but also from several African countries.
The institute is now equipped with modern facilities for training in the fields of electronic and telecommunication engineering, film production, radio and television production, print and broadcast journalism, electronic and studio technology.
