Nation Media Group (NMG) was Wednesday feted at the ongoing Devolution Conference for excellent coverage of devolution stories after judges placed it in the first position at a dinner ceremony that celebrated defenders of devolution in Kenya.
The leading media company bagged the Devolution Warrior TAI Award for its commitment and consistency in providing robust, comprehensive, objective, accurate, and focused coverage on devolution in Kenya.
The NMG award was received by the Lead Editor of Sports and Integration Projects Elias Makori on behalf of Group CEO Stephen Gitagama.
Cape Media Services came in second position and Royal Media Services was third. They were also feted at the Eldoret Sports Club in Uasin Gishu County where the three-day conference is taking place.
The conference began on Wednesday and is set to end on Friday, and the awards ceremony was held in the evening during the Council of Governor’s chairperson’s devolution dinner.
The award, which followed a nomination process, came just hours after President William Ruto had taken issue with NMG for its reporting on government subsidies, while officially opening the 8th Devolution conference.
Also feted at the awards was the first CoG chairman, former Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto, who bagged the overall Devolution Warrior- Simba award for his contribution to devolution.
During his term, Mr Ruto championed for allocation of more funds to the counties and can be remembered for his consistent ‘pesa mashinani’ (Money to the grassroots) calls.
Ms Adah Omedi emerged the 1st runner-up and Vihiga County the 2nd runner-up in the Simba award won by Mr Ruto.
Mr Ruto said he is delighted to see devolution strong and better than he left it when he exited the position, terming it a huge success.
“Development has been witnessed across the country and devolution has now seen less tribalism because every county has its share,” he said.
“More will be achieved going forward because we have to move forward and make our country Kenya stronger.”
The Devolution Warrior Awards is an initiative that seeks to highlight and celebrate the efforts of individuals and institutions that have shown exceptional performance in promoting and championing devolution in Kenya.
The awards came in seven categories namely: Simba, Ndovu, Kifaru, Nyati, Chui, Njiwa, and Tai. They highlighted the various aspects of devolution and mirrored the actions and interventions undertaken by institutions or individuals towards making the devolved system of government work.
CoG chairperson Anne Waiguru celebrated the winners saying the road to devolution has been bumpy but successful.
“Devolution is the governor's structure that has resolved the perennial challenges experienced by a large number of Kenyans due to lack of equitable distribution of resources. Today we have the opportunity to celebrate and recognise individuals and institutions that have safeguarded and promoted and advanced the devolution in Kenya through Devolution Warrior Awards,” said Ms Waiguru, the Kirinyaga governor.
The awards were the second since the inception of devolution in Kenya. The inaugural awards were held during the 4th Annual Devolution Conference in 2017.
“In recognition of the need to ensure inclusivity, transparency, and integrity of the Devolution Warrior Awards, the COG and its partners established a multi-agency committee to oversee the overall execution of the awards including nomination, evaluation, and shortlisting of nominees,” said CoG Chief Executive Officer Mary Mwiti, as she celebrated the winners.
The ongoing conference is themed “10 Years of Devolution: The Present and the Future”, focusing on driving transformation from the local level, with county governments as the centre of economic development.
The Njiwa Award was bagged by ACT, with Kiunga Youth emerging as the Second runner-up and Dr Charles Lochodo Malcolm as the 1st runner-up.
For the Chui Award, victory went to CREAW, with Loroo Esekon Emmanuel emerging as the 1st runner-up while Population Service Kenya (PSK) was the 2nd runner-up.
The Nyati Award saw Ms Sandra Sebastian declared the winner, while the 1st runner-up award went to Safaricom, with the National Council for Law Reporting emerging as the 2nd runner-up.
In the Ndovu Award, Integrated Development Facility emerged as the winner, with Prof Kivutha Kibwana coming in second position as the first Runner-up, while Shee Kupi Shee took the 2nd Runner-up position.
Ms Jedidah Wanyeki bagged the Kifaru Award with Murang’a County emerging as the 1st runner-up while MESPT came in the third position.
