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    Media Ownership in Kenya

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    surambaya
    This paper examines media ownership and categorization in Kenya. It identifies the major categories of media as radio, television, magazines, newspapers, and the internet. It then analyzes who owns Kenya's media, including families of political figures, individuals, religious groups, and community groups. The implications of this concentrated ownership are that media outlets may lack independence, particularly around elections, and could take partisan stances that undermine their objectivity and credibility. This political influence over the media was seen as a trigger for violence after the disputed 2007 election.

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    Media Ownership in Kenya

    Uploaded by

    surambaya
    197 views13 pages
    This paper examines media ownership and categorization in Kenya. It identifies the major categories of media as radio, television, magazines, newspapers, and the internet. It then analyzes who owns Kenya's media, including families of political figures, individuals, religious groups, and community groups. The implications of this concentrated ownership are that media outlets may lack independence, particularly around elections, and could take partisan stances that undermine their objectivity and credibility. This political influence over the media was seen as a trigger for violence after the disputed 2007 election.

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    Media ownership in Kenya

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    This paper examines media ownership and categorization in Kenya. It identifies the major categories of media as radio, television, magazines, newspapers, and the internet. It then analyzes who owns Kenya's media, including families of political figures, individuals, religious groups, and community groups. The implications of this concentrated ownership are that media outlets may lack independence, particularly around elections, and could take partisan stances that undermine their objectivity and credibility. This political influence over the media was seen as a trigger for violence after the disputed 2007 election.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    197 views13 pages

    Media Ownership in Kenya

    Uploaded by

    surambaya
    This paper examines media ownership and categorization in Kenya. It identifies the major categories of media as radio, television, magazines, newspapers, and the internet. It then analyzes who owns Kenya's media, including families of political figures, individuals, religious groups, and community groups. The implications of this concentrated ownership are that media outlets may lack independence, particularly around elections, and could take partisan stances that undermine their objectivity and credibility. This political influence over the media was seen as a trigger for violence after the disputed 2007 election.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    of 13

    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

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