2nd annual Kuza awards to be held in May 2018

The second annual broadcasters Kuza Awards hosted by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) will be held in May 2018.

The Kuza Awards seek to identify and reward broadcasters who have demonstrated excellence in their services as well as in compliance with the Programming Code for Free-to-Air radio and television broadcasting services.

The Code outlines the programming standards that radio and TV broadcasters have to observe, and constitutes one of the licence conditions that broadcasters have to adhere to.

Speaking at a meeting with broadcasters, Communications Authority of Kenya Director General Mr. Francis Wangusi said the awards will serve as a motivation to the broadcasters given the critical role that media play in the society.

‘‘This award aims at motivating broadcasters to devote their energies and resources to offer quality services to the consumer, considering the strong influence broadcasting exerts to society on language, culture, morals, values, and our worldview,’’ said Mr.Wangusi.

This year, the awards have been broadly categorized into three categories comprising 16 awards. The categories are Regulatory Compliance, Collaborative and the Peoples’ Choice.

The winners in the Regulatory Compliance and Collaborative categories will be picked based on their compliance with the Programming Code and Licence Conditions, while the Peoples’ Choice Category will be based on consumer feedback on the social economic impact of broadcasting services on the community.

The 2018 Kuza Awards will adjudicated by an independent jury, in addition to data collated from the various Authority’s broadcasting reports and feedback obtained from consumer through an online voting system.

The Director General challenged the broadcasters to invest more in quality programmes to meet the needs of the consumers as well as the regulatory requirements.

‘‘It is my sincere hope that the Kuza Awards initiative will go a long way to motivate the industry to put their best foot forward, towards enhancing compliance with the regulatory requirements, and in providing quality content that positively impacts the community,’’ said Mr.Wangusi.

Winners shall be feted at an Awards Gala on 23rd May 2018.