Dinah Ondari: Fearless scribe who moved from the newsroom to media advocacy

Dinah Ondari is a Political Scientist and Journalist with 16 years of experience, 13 of them spent in some of the busiest newsrooms in Kenya.

Dinah describes herself as a village girl who, by God’s grace, continues to survive the odds that life throws at her, by utilizing opportunities and taking risks to better the society.

The fearless scribe was once summoned to Parliament after she and a colleague of hers wrote investigative stories exposing corruption among Members of Parliament.

She is currently the Press Freedom, Safety and Advocacy Manager at the Media Council of Kenya (MCK) but her career in journalism began in 2004 after she graduated with a Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication.

“One year later, I got an internship opportunity at the People Daily Newspaper. Those early days of my career were the most challenging, partly because I had zero networks in the media industry. In addition, my knowledge of the city was non-existent. I recall having a hard time tracing the building where I was to report for my internship. Finally, I made my way there.

“After six months of the internship, they absorbed me as a correspondent. But even the change of position did not make things any better for me. As a correspondent, salaries never came on time. However, our employer always ensured we had Sh700 at the end of every week for transport to work.”

Dinah Ondari. PHOTO/COURTESY

Despite the financial problems she faced, the newsroom she worked for had a vibrant environment for the development of fresh talent.

“Emerging from an astute reputation as a bold weekly that delivered earth-shattering stories in the 90’s, the People Daily newspaper attracted some of the best brains in journalism whose mentorship I benefitted from as a young journalist.”

Most of the senior and acclaimed journalists began their careers at the People Daily.

“Out of interest to report on issues of governance, I was assigned to join the parliamentary team in 2006. This is when I made the connection between politics and life.

After interacting with legislative reporting, observing political processes and the role of the media in setting the agenda on governance, she felt challenged to further her studies to make sense of life around her.

She graduated from the University of Nairobi (UoN) in December 2009 with a double major in Journalism and Political Science.

“My thirst for education took me back to UoN in 2010 to pursue Masters in Political Science and Public Administration. By this time, the financial fortunes of my employer had improved, and I had also grown through the ranks to become a Deputy News Editor. I had had a stint on TV where I did news analysis, and I led the newspapers, parliamentary team.”

After more than 10 years in the newsroom and graduating with her Master’s degree in 2016, she started introspecting on the future of her career in the Fourth Estate.

“My heart yearned for more. Even though I had previously attempted to leave the newsroom unsuccessfully, this time round the urge was overwhelming. In 2018, in my incessant search for a new job, a friend shared a job advertisement. I applied and as they say, the rest is history.

Dinah Ondari. PHOTO/COURTESY

“My current job has offered the challenges I had anticipated, and more, which means that the levels of satisfaction have been surpassed. Challenges push you to think, utilize your brain and explore new territories in search of solutions. My knowledge and experience in political science and journalism make it easier for me to contribute to the Media Council’s interventions in articulating policy issues and the work of media, identify and respond to gaps, and do advocacy on the same.”

Due to the hurdles she faced while in the media, Dinah is able to respond to issues of safety of journalists and press freedom violations, not only as a matter of duty but from her heart.

She spoke to Swala Nyeti about her biggest accomplishments and some of the events that shaped her career journey spanning close to a decade and a half.

“One of the proud moments in my career, which was also the riskiest, was when together with my colleague at People Daily, Anthony Mwangi, we published investigative stories about corruption among Members of Parliament. This earned us summons by the Speaker of the National Assembly, on the floor of the House. We were expected to appear before the Committee on Powers and Privileges to testify about our stories and name our sources.

“With pressure from individual MPs and summons staring at us, Nairobi became very small for us. But thanks to efforts by the Group Managing Editor, who stood by our stories and the Media Council of Kenya which marshalled the industry to rally behind us, the summons was not executed. Looking back, I think fate was preparing me for the work I now do at the Media Council.”

Dinah Ondari. PHOTO/COURTESY

She was later elected the Secretary-General of the Kenya Parliamentary Journalists Association (KPJA).

“My belief is that leadership is an opportunity to serve. Therefore, my stint at KPJA marked a new dawn for the association as more women had started expressing interest in leading the association which articulates the interests of parliamentary journalists as far as the relationship between parliament and media is concerned.

“My deputy was also a lady and I am glad this trend has continued. The KPJA office was able to expand freedom of expression within the association as well as spearhead cooperation and respect between parliament and members, which is critical in creating a conducive working environment for journalists working in parliament.”

She has these words of wisdom to young women joining the dynamic media industry.

“Like politics, journalism is not a walk in the park and especially for women journalists. There will be challenges that threaten to overwhelm you, such as wrong assumptions and generalizations or stereotypes and sexual harassment. But all these can be overcome with the right skills, passion, determination, positive attitude, integrity and prayer.

“Often, opportunities come dressed in gowns that look like work, do not doubt your ability to cope. Most of the challenges you face come from people who are scared of your mere potential.”

So, what measures is MCK taking to ensure media preparedness ahead of the 2022 General Election and is it important for a journalist to join the Council?

PHOTO/COURTESY

Dinah says MCK has developed a comprehensive strategy on poll preparedness including;

• Collaboration with the media to ensure it plays its civic role to educate Kenyans on the importance of participating and electing responsible leaders, and its watchdog role to ensure transparency in electoral processes.

• Work with stakeholders in the media sector to conduct County-based journalists’ training on election reporting.

• Review of the Safety and Protection Mechanism for journalists, which will be signed by the Media Owners and Editors as a commitment to ensure the safety of journalists.

• Review of the Election Reporting Guidelines to enhance reportage on electoral processes. This will be an industry-led process.

• Training of Trainers on the Election Reporting Guidelines and Election Training Manual.

• MCK will put up Media Centres for journalists to work from during the election period.

• Provision of grants for journalists to produce in-depth stories on the election. The journalists will work with mentors as a way of enhancing their capacity for election reporting.

Dinah Ondari. PHOTO/COURTESY

• Media Monitoring during the electioneering period on hate speech, fake news and trends. This will provide a feedback loop on the performance of the media.

• Work with the IEBC to accredit journalists for election reporting and coverage. Being an accredited member of the Council is important for journalists as it accords you several privileges:

• Access to news sites/places, protection in case of press freedom violations.

• Access to training opportunities offered by the Council.

• An accreditation card is one of the requirements for eligibility when applying for the Annual Journalism and Excellence Awards.

• Favourable hearing at the Media Complaints Commission. MCK accreditation is a symbol of credibility as a professional.

Mac Otani, Martin Wachira, Dinah Ondari and Kenfrey Kiberenge. PHOTO/COURTESY

She also shared her thoughts on Kenya’s ever-rising rate of unemployment and mental health issues, which have not spared the members of the Fourth Estate.

“The Covid-19 has no doubt exacerbated unemployment in the country. The media industry was among the sectors with over 1,200 journalists being affected by salary cuts, job losses and infections. These negative effects took a toll on many journalists and media workers due to the loss of revenue and status.

“As a response, the Council has been leading the industry interventions to cushion individual journalists and media houses through grants direct support, psychological counselling. The Council is also setting up a media support fund in a more sustainable way. These efforts can effectively be replicated in other sectors of the economy if customized to respond to the needs of the targets groups.”

Which two values drive Dinah Ondari and have shaped the way she works and lives?

• Emotional Intelligence. This is as equally important as having a high IQ. Emotional Intelligence will help you manage yourself, situations and relationships with others in a manner that is objective and practical.

• Fear of God. God before everything, after all, he owns the universe.

Dinah Ondari. PHOTO/COURTESY

So, what’s her perception of herself and how do others perceive her?

“I am determined, intelligent, hardworking, results-oriented, humorous, and extroverted/introverted.

“Others describe me as hardworking, team player, go-getter, intelligent and perceptive. I can be a little impatient and stubborn especially when something I truly believes in isn’t working out or there are unnecessary delays.”

If she was to meet her 25-year-old self, what would she tell her?

“All trees are judged by the quality of fruits they produce. But little attention is given to the amount it takes to nurture and entrench the tree’s roots to make it produce. Similarly, a lot of time effort and resources go into the process of setting up a foundation of a house, which is usually buried on the ground. But once it is done, the focus is usually given to other aspects that people can see and what is beneficial to them. In short, preparing for a future you want may be costly, lonely and often thankless, but the fruits will be worthwhile. You must do your part; leave the rest to God.”

Curated by Patience Nyange and Esther Kiragu