VERNACULAR RADIO BROADCASTING IN KENYA: ISSUES, PERSPECTIVES AND CHALLENGES

Abstract

Radio broadcasting in Kenya has historically been in English and Kiswahili. Kiswahili is Kenya’s national and official language. Kenya boasts of a media landscape renowned for its diversity and sophistication. The radio sector is thriving, with over 100 radio stations, many catering to various local languages. Between 2015 and 2022, there has been substantial growth in both radio and TV stations. The count for radio stations surged from 120 to 228, and for TV stations, there was a remarkable increase from 6 to 182(CA, 2023). The purpose of this paper was to analyze issues and challenges facing vernacular radio in Kenya. Data was collected through interviews and key informative interviews (KII). The results indicate that, although radio vernacular broadcast now plays a major role in creating awareness among most Kenyans at all levels through discussing issues in personal development, education, agriculture, politics & governance, and healthcare, challenges abound. The fact that Kenya’s political mobilization and ethnicity are intertwined with vernacular languages and political competition is a challenge. Additionally, vernacular radio continues to become targets of political patronage and control owing to influence as reliable sources of information for communities, need for profit than social responsibility, little regard for professionalism, poor professional training, ethical foundations and expertise in media management, non-adherence in media ethics, lack of basic investigative journalism knowledge and skills, lack of support by media houses and generally, poor working conditions in vernacular radio stations. To make vernacular radio to gather and use its full potential, there is need to make vernacular radio move towards independence, make it lean towards social enterprise, ensure training and professionalism and proper remuneration of the radio personalities and make it serve the interests of the communities it serves.