By ERIC JUMA
The Nuclear Power and Energy Agency (NuPEA) and Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) have urged the media to ensure accuracy when reporting on nuclear power technology to prevent misinformation and public confusion.
Led by Dr Willis Ochieng, KenGen Assistant Director in charge of Resource Assessment and Energy Planning, the agencies challenged journalists to conduct thorough research and choose their words carefully when reporting on nuclear matters.
“In the nuclear field, a single word wrongly used destabilises everything. So journalists should correctly choose their words,” Ochieng said.
He spoke in Bondo during a media workshop jointly organised by NuPEA and KenGen.
Ochieng urged media practitioners to apply themselves diligently, pay attention to detail and remain persistent in their pursuit of professional excellence.
“Nuclear power technology has aspects which require journalists to specialise,” he said.
He said specialising in specific areas would enable journalists to produce in-depth stories and enhance public understanding of the nuclear power project.
“We have invited you as experts in the field of media to speak, write and talk about nuclear for people to understand,” Ochieng said.
He said the media had an important role to play in countering misinformation and propaganda surrounding nuclear energy.
“We are aware that anti-nuclear forces have gained ground and are doing everything possible, including spreading propaganda, in a bid to resist it. We want you to use the power of your lens and voice to frustrate their actions,” he said.
“We shall retaliate by talking to our people through the media until we erase the ills fed to them,” he added.
NuPEA and KenGen assured journalists that they were ready to provide information and technical support to help them educate and inform the public accurately about nuclear energy.
“As the voice of the community, we expect your reporting to be transparent. As an agency, we cannot dictate how you report, but we have informed you appropriately, so we expect you to communicate correctly to the people,” Ochieng said.
He challenged journalists to undertake more follow-ups and probe deeper into issues surrounding nuclear technology to help Kenya achieve its nuclear power ambitions.
“Journalists need to do more follow-ups and probe more into issues of nuclear technology to help Kenya succeed in the nuclear power project,” he added.
Ochieng said the proposed nuclear power project in Central Sakwa, Siaya County, would help stabilise the country’s electricity supply and support industrialisation and flagship development projects.
The proposed nuclear plant is expected to generate 2,000 megawatts of electricity.
He said Kenya currently imports 30MW of electricity from Uganda and 200MW from Ethiopia, warning that any crisis affecting the two countries could expose Kenya to power shortages.
“We cannot change our fortunes until we industrialise and have energy that is stable, reliable, affordable and clean,” he said.
Siaya Press Club Chairman Phillip Onyango and Vice-Chairman George Amolo expressed gratitude to NuPEA and KenGen for organising the workshop.
“As Siaya scribes, we were in darkness regarding the nuclear project. Now that we are equipped with knowledge, we shall rightly carry the stories,” Onyango said.
