The Media Council of Kenya (MCK) and the Kenya Mortgage Refinance Company (KMRC) are exploring a partnership to strengthen financial reporting and raise awareness of mortgage financing in the country.

“This partnership offers an opportunity to improve the quality of financial stories and provide brand visibility for KMRC. We should aim for a two-year collaboration for meaningful impact,” stated MCK Assistant Director of Media Training and Development, Christine Nguku.

She highlighted the complexities of financial journalism and the limited interest among journalists due to its challenging nature and further pointed to the lack of high-quality entries in financial reporting for the Annual Journalism Excellence Awards, attributing this to limited submissions.

“Financial journalism is complex, and it attracts fewer journalists. We aim to grow this field by raising awareness of key financial issues that can be reported on,” she added.

KMRC Head of Corporate Communications Irene Kadima acknowledged the challenges of financial reporting and noted KMRC’s efforts to train media practitioners and editors to enhance reporting skills and raise awareness about the mortgage firm.

She noted that strategic partnerships and training opportunities in mortgage finance are key components of KMRC’s strategic plan adding, “mortgage finance is a new concept in Kenya, and the media is best placed to tell our story.” 

Highlighting her organisation’s role in addressing misconceptions that KMRC is a retail bank, Kadima said, “Our mandate is to enhance the affordability and accessibility of home loans, enabling more Kenyans to secure funding for homes. We are regulated by the Central Bank of Kenya, and our operations are private,” she explained.

Kadima then reaffirmed KMRC’s commitment to a formal partnership with MCK and proposed a media sensitisation workshop for journalists and editors. 

“We want to hold a workshop to discuss our institution, mortgage refinancing, and clarify our role,” she said.

Meanwhile, Ms Nguku revealed that the Council is developing a financial reporting handbook to support journalists and underscored the Council’s commitment to elevating journalistic standards in specialised reporting. She advocated for collaboration between the two organisations to not only train journalists but also build their capacity to create compelling stories that resonate with audiences.

 “This training will include journalists already in newsrooms, equipping them with practical skills to focus on specific stories,” she explained.

Speaking on the same, MCK Manager for Board Services, Fundraising, Government Relations and Stakeholder Engagements Stella Kaaria stressed the importance of a Memorandum of Understanding to outline the partnership’s deliverables. She recommended that the sensitisation training include journalists from regions where MCK has a presence.

Lastly, Ms Nguku also discussed the MCK’s grants programme, which supports specialised journalism by pairing grantees with mentors.

“The programme enables us to match grantees with mentors who guide them on story angles. Journalists must pitch their ideas to be accepted. We work with editors to ensure these stories are published,” she noted.

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