By Godfrey Ombogo
The day that many fourth year students, who have ever dreamt of working in the media, have been waiting for finally came yesterday. The occasion that is usually known as Nation Media Group graduate recruitment was graced by two speakers, Mr. Owino Opondo, the Editorial Training Coordinator, Nation Media Group and his Human Resource Office counterpart Ms. Irene Miako. This time it was conducted at the Senate Chambers in the Administration Block. The hall was full to its capacity with all those present having their hoping that they may land in Nation Media Group one day.
While addressing the job seekers, Mr. Opondo reiterated the need for wide and indiscriminative reading if one ever wants to excel in the media industry. He said that while in the university, one should do something more than just the formal education. “We are looking for people who are not just educated but learned,” he said. He added that Nation has already employed Aby Agina, a former student of this campus who is yet to graduate. Aby was a student in the school of Information Sciences and the immediate former Managing Editor of Newsround. Opondo baffled his listeners with his prowess in linguistics and general knowledge as he went through issues speaking impeccable English and Kiswahili. Undoubtedly, almost everyone in the hall admired him.
A publication of Moi University School of Information Sciences-Media Group
On her part, Ms. Miako talked about a range of issues starting from the history of the Nation Media Group to its current position and not forgetting to touch on the careers available at the organization and modes of recruitment. That the kind of audience she was dealing with needed such details could not be overemphasized. She said that they usually look for the best talent and genuine interest in journalism, and that is the reason why their personnel have always won awards.
According to Ms Miako’s report, the Nation Media Group, whose vision is “To be the media of Africa for Africa”, was started in 1959 by His Highness, the Aga Khan with Taifa Leo being its only publication at the time. Today, the group has over 3000 outlets countrywide, five branch offices and several brands in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
This annual occasion is popular among Media and Linguistics students since it is known for recruiting students to what the media group calls the Media Laboratory. It therefore culminated in what everyone expected and anxiously waited for, essay writing. This is what Opondo will use to pick a few successful candidates for the Laboratory. Those picked could ultimately make it to Nation Media, either print or broadcast. The question is who will be the lucky ones? From the Senate Chambers, the two guests moved straight to Baraton University for the same exercise.
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