Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir has thrown his weight behind the newly launched Media and Communication Awards (MAC) 2026, proposing a dedicated category to promote Mombasa’s image across print, broadcast, photography and digital platforms.
The awards are the brainchild of Gilitics Media and the Mombasa Press Club; The MAC Awards will run under 25 categories spanning journalism and digital communication excellence, from Best Investigative Story and Journalist of the Year to Best NGO Digital Campaign and Best Crisis Communication Response.
Organisers said the rollout will proceed in phases, beginning with submissions in July and August, screening and adjudication in September, and public voting through October, ahead of an industry workshop on journalism, digital storytelling and AI in media, culminating in the grand awards gala expected between October and November.
The awards are financed through a mix of sponsorship, ticketing and event activations, with sponsorship packages ranging from Sh400, 000 to upwards of Sh2.5 million, alongside corporate gala tables and individual tickets.
Governor Nassir said he wanted to see a category built around marketing the Port City, covering the county’s logistics, tourism and other sectors.
“I think selling Mombasa as Mombasa does not necessarily mean selling an individual. But we are selling our county, Mombasa Ni yetu. It is where we all are, it is where we all belong,” Nassir said.
The Governor said he made a deliberate decision to separate himself from his radio station- Radio Rahma when he joined elective politics to avoid conflicts of interest, a choice he said he still stands by.
He urged journalists to return to timeless principles of the profession: accuracy, verification and context, warning that the fast pace of digital and citizen journalism had pushed some practitioners toward speed over accuracy.
“We have seen situations where we publish before verifying, and we conclude before giving context. And at times we tend to go for speed rather than accuracy. We need to go back now more than ever to the basic timeless principles of journalism,” he said.
Jomvu MP Badi Twalib said the awards came at a time when media had grown beyond traditional newsrooms to shape how communities understand and engage with the world around them.
“Today, media is a classroom, a marketplace, a protest sign, and a lifeline. Communication is the bridge that carries truth, culture, and community across all of this,” Twalib said.
He told journalists, editors and content creators in attendance that their work carried a responsibility beyond reporting events, describing their role as one of holding power to account and giving voice to experiences that would otherwise remain unheard.
“You do not just report the world; you shape how we understand it. You hold power to account. You give language to experiences that would otherwise go unnamed,” Twalib said, describing the profession as nation-building work.
He urged journalists and communicators to prioritise fairness and truth over speed and popularity as they cover the awards season ahead.
“Let us tell stories that are not only fast, but fair. Not only vital, but valuable. Not only loud, but true,” he said.
Deputy Government Spokesperson Mwanaisha Chidzuga called on organisations to open up opportunities for journalists beyond the newsroom, saying their skills in content creation, editing, photography and videography could add value across sectors.
“Journalists don’t belong in the newsroom alone. We have skills, we are talented, and we can give advice. If there’s an opportunity in your organisation, please give them an opportunity,” Chidzuga said.
By Joan Kinuthia
