COM 592

Exploring Mass Media

By
Henry Neondo
Jane Gakaria
Jeremiah Ngondi
Loni Carol Semgalawe

Daystar University
February 2016
 How is Kenyan media categorized?
Who owns Kenya’s media? What are
the implications of this ownership?

This paper is tasked to look at the subject in

three ways
1. Major categories and subcategories of media
in Kenya
2. Who owns media in Kenya
3. Implications of this ownership
 Major categories of media in Kenya

The mass media are the entire array of the media

specifically envisioned and designed to reach a large
audience. Broadly media in Kenya these media falls
under;
1. Radio (sound format to transmit information),
2. Television (uses visual and audio),
3. Magazines (Weekly, monthly, half-yearly and
yearly),
4. Newspapers (Daily, weekly)
5. the World Wide Web (internet).
 Major categories cont…
These can further be categories into
1. News media
2. Entertainment media
3. Billboards (advertising)
4. Flyers (public relations), and
5. Propaganda
6. Social media platforms .
 subcategories
In Kenya this can further be narrowed down to
1. National media
2. Regional media
3. English media
4. Swahili media
5. Vernacular media
• Then we have in-house
• Market-specific
• Free promotional
• printed sheets that also seek to pass for
newspapers in the urban centre streets.
 Media ownership
Media in Kenya is in the hands of;
1. Families-Mois, Kenyattas, Kirubis, Macharias
etc
2. Individuals
3. Religious groups
4. Community groups
 Examples
• His Highness the Aga Khan-Nation Media Group (NMG);
• Former President Daniel Moi’s family and Joshua Kulei-
the Standard Group (SG) through Baraza Limited
• Samuel Macharia’s family-Royal Media Services Limited.
• Industrialist Chris Kirubi owns the Capital Group,
• Mr Patrick Quarcoo and Mr William Pike-Radio Africa
Group (the Star, Classic 105, Kiss FM/TV, East FM, Radio
Jambo).
• Kenyatta Family -TV Africa Holdings, (the People Daily,
K24 TV station, Kameme FM, Milele FM, Mayian FM and
Meru FM.
• Leo Slingerland -Family Radio and Family TV
• Joshua Chepkwony- Kass FM and KASS TV
 Religious radio eg
• Hope FM
• Family FM/TV
• Radio waumini
• Radio Maria
• Bibilia Husema
• Iqra FM
 Community radios for eg
• Kenya Institute of Mass Communication – Nairobi
• Koch FM – Korogocho, Nairobi
• Maseno University – Maseno
• Masinde Muliro University – Kakamega
• Pamoja – Kibera, Nairobi
• Radio Maria Kenya – Muranga
• Ghetto FM – Kawangware, Nairobi
• Sidarec – Pumwani, Nairobi
• Light FM – St. Paul’s Theological University – Limuru, Nairobi
• Others which are members of the the Community Radio Association of Kenya
• include:
• Bulala FM, Budalang’i, Busia
• Serian FM, Maralal, Samburu
• Ol toilo le Maa, Suswa, Narok
• Mugambo Jwetu FM, Tigania West, Meru
• Mang’elete FM, Kibwezi, Makueni
• Kangema FM, Kangema, Murang’a
• Wajir FM, Wajir.
 Implications
From the list, it can generally be said that media in
Kenya is owned by either political players or their
supporters (funders).

The political ownership of media outlets can act

against the requirement for a fiercely independent
media – especially during election times (Nyanjom,
2012).

The report adds that in the run up to the 2007

general elections, the Kenyan media was seen as
partisan--- because of political interference in
editorial content.
 Implications cont..
This had devastating consequences. Public,
private and community media took sides,
undermining their objectivity and credibility.

The public received unbalanced and sometimes

inappropriate information. The political
campaign turned virulent – the media being a
platform for accusations and abusive language.
 Implications
The prevailing perception has been that Kenyan
media’s conduct was a significant trigger for
the violence in the 2007 general election
(Nyanjom, 2012).
Another key implication is the religious-where
religious media houses advocate and
evangelise other people by using their media
Third implication is that the narrow media
ownership by who is who in Kenya means that
there is possibility of sabotaging new entrants
in the market. While Kenya has free media it is
not however an easy market for new entrants