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Baraza Media Lab marked its fifth anniversary with the opening of a new hub in Nairobi’s Industrial Area, signalling its growth from a single-city initiative to a wider network aimed at strengthening independent media and creative work across Kenya.
Origins and founding
The organisation was founded in 2019 after consultations that, its founders say, exposed a gap in the media space, where independent voices lacked a common platform for journalists, creatives and technologists to collaborate, experiment and develop models for public interest storytelling
Maurice Otieno, Executive Director of Baraza Media Lab, gives a speech
Since 2020, Baraza says it has catalysed more than 200 projects, disbursed Sh15 million in grants and hosted over 30 cross-sector conventions.
Its activities are positioned as a response to challenges facing Kenya’s media industry.
Reports highlighted by Baraza describe a young and insecure workforce, with many journalists on short-term contracts and struggling financially in ways that affect ethical reporting.
The organisation also points to growing concern about misinformation and the limited uptake of data and artificial intelligence skills in newsrooms.
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Expansion and regional hubs
Baraza’s expansion is presented as one way to respond to these trends.
Alongside the Industrial Area facility, it has opened hubs in Mombasa, Kisumu and Nakuru.
Within five months, the new sites have reached more than 5,000 young people through mentorship, training and opportunities.
Nelmo Munyiri, Executive Director of the Mukuru Youth Initiative, a community grassroots initiative
The hubs are described as community spaces designed to make resources and training accessible beyond Nairobi.
The choice of Industrial Area is also deliberate.
Baraza’s leadership frames the location as a way of situating the hub within an entrepreneurial environment, offering closer links to potential audiences and livelihoods.
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Programmes, priorities and outlook
Baraza’s programmes combine training, innovation and content incubation.
Henk Jan Bakker, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Kenya boards a ‘Nganya,’ during the Baraza@5 commemoration
They include a Data Storytelling Fellowship, the Africa Media Festival that brought together more than 1,000 practitioners in 2023, She Leads Media, Baraza Sessions, Creative Clinics and SemaBOX, which it calls Kenya’s first and Africa’s largest podcast incubator.
The Fumbua project continues to share editorial guidelines and media literacy tools to counter digital threats.
The organisation outlines four main areas of focus: revenue innovation, media literacy and verification, data-driven journalism and collaboration across sectors.
Its stated goal is to help creators shift from advertising-heavy models to audience or creator-led approaches, while improving verification practices and data skills in newsrooms.
Adelle Onyango, Vice-Chair of the Baraza Media Lab Board of Directors shares a light moment with Mengo Mengo, Network Lead at the European Union System for an Enabling Environment for Civil Society (EU SEE)
The next phase will test whether Baraza’s hubs can turn training and incubation into lasting business models and safer working conditions for media workers.
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The organisation says it will continue to expand its grants, training and convenings while deepening engagement at each hub through partnerships with funders, civil society and technology players.