Velona Ayuko
The audiences have a chance to vote for their favorite broadcasters in the People’s Choice Award category through the SMS shortcode 15601 at a date to be announced later. The hashtag #PeopleChoiceBroadcastAwards was trending yesterday on Twitter and had everyone excited about the upcoming voting.
The annual event seeks to recognize and reward excellence in the broadcasting industry. This year’s theme is “Preserving our Cultural Heritage through Broadcasting: Kenya a Heritage of Splendour.”
The Communications Authority of Kenya has added three new categories to its annual KUZA Awards 2021, as well as launched the People’s Choice SMS voting platform, which will allow audience members to vote for their favorite broadcaster.
Among the new categories are:
Patriotic Award- This category honors all broadcasters who have shown patriotism and made a positive impact in disseminating information and carrying out the Authority and Government’s directives on the raging COVID-19 pandemic.
Upcoming Broadcaster Award- This, on the other hand, will recognize new broadcasters who have demonstrated compliance and adherence to regulatory requirements through their programming over the last three years.
Copyright Award- This award is meant to enhance broadcasters’ compliance with copyright and Intellectual Property regulatory requirements.
This year’s awards aim to recognize broadcasters who promote patriotism, uphold Kenyan culture, beliefs, and values, and contribute to national unity and cohesion.
Mrs. Wanjau also stated that beginning in July of this year, the Authority will only issue compliance certificates to broadcasters who comply with all license conditions and other regulatory requirements.
‘‘One of the key elements that we shall be evaluating for eligibility for annual compliance certificate is compliance with copyright obligations in accordance with their license conditions,’’ observed Mrs. Wanjau.
The 2021 Kuza Awards Gala is scheduled for June this year.