Status of the Media in Kenya Report by Media Council of Kenya

MEDIA COUNCIL OF KENYA STATUS OF MEDIA IN KENYA SURVEY REPORT MAY, 2012

Status of Media in Kenya

2012

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT...........................................................................................................7 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...........................................................................................................8 PART 1 PRELIMINARIES....................................................................................................... 10 Chapter 1....................................................................................................................................... 11 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................ 11 TERMS OF REFERENCE................................................................................................. 12 Chapter 2....................................................................................................................................... 13 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND....................................................................................... 13 Chapter 3....................................................................................................................................... 19 METHODOLOGY............................................................................................................... 19 PART II......................................................................................................................................... 26 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION...................................................................................... 26 Chapter 4....................................................................................................................................... 27 MEDIA OWNERSHIP, SIZE AND DIVERSITY......................................................... 27 Chapter 5....................................................................................................................................... 39 ISSUES IN CONTENT, MEDIA USE AND PERCEPTION.................................... 39 Chapter 6....................................................................................................................................... 51 TRAINING, PROFESSIONALISM AND CAPACITY ISSUES................................ 51 Chapter 7....................................................................................................................................... 57 GENERAL MEDIA PERCEPTIONS.............................................................................. 57 Chapter 8....................................................................................................................................... 93 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS........................................................ 93 REFERENCES............................................................................................................................ 97

LIST OF TABLES 1. Focus Group demographics................................................................................................ 21 2. Focus Group Discussion schedule..................................................................................... 22 3 Respondents interviewed..................................................................................................... 23 4. Areas visited........................................................................................................................... 24 5. Quantitative respondent demographics............................................................................. 24 6. Ownership of radio stations............................................................................................... 30 7. Ownership of daily newspapers......................................................................................... 34 8. Daily newspapers................................................................................................................... 34 9. Other publications................................................................................................................ 35 10. Online sites............................................................................................................................. 36 11. Monthly magazines usually read......................................................................................... 41 12. Readership of monthly magazines by gender................................................................... 42 13. Evaluation of mainstream and alternative media............................................................. 46 14. Newspaper coverage of specific topics ........................................................................... 46 15. Radio stations usually listened to........................................................................................ 48 16. Radio stations listened to (b)............................................................................................... 48 17. Other radio stations also listened to ................................................................................. 49 18. Age and social groups neglected by TV............................................................................ 75 19. TV programs which respondents are unhappy with....................................................... 76 20. When respondent watches TV............................................................................................ 79 21. Radio programs respondent wants taken off the air....................................................... 82

Status of Media in Kenya

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LIST OF CHARTS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28.

Media usually used to get news and information………….......………..40 Readership of newspapers and magazines………......………….……….41 Weekly magazines read………………………………...…………….…..43 Types of newspapers read……………………………………....…….….43 Weekly newspapers usually read………………………………….......…44 Newspaper readership…………………………………………...….…...44 Awareness of categories of Kenyan media…………………......…….….45 Overall satisfaction with print media…………………………......……..47 Clarity of radio signals………………………………………………......69 Whether respondent watches TV…………………………………….....70 Credibility of what is heard on TV…………………………...……..…...71 Rating of TV news programmes………………………....................……71 TV stations usually watched………………………………………..…...72 TV stations catering for age and social groups……………………........72 Whether respondent gets a clear TV signal…………………...…….….73 Any programmes to be taken off the air…………...................….….…...74 Overall satisfaction with TV…………………………………...…….…..75 Frequency of TV viewing……………………………………..…….…...76 Any programmes respondent wants taken off the ai.....................………79 How often respondent listens to the radio……………………..……......81 Place of listening to the radio…………………………………..…..……82 How respondent normally receives radio programmes…...............…….83 Radio listenership…………………………………………….…..……...84 Place of normal radio listenership…………………..…………..………84 Whether radio stations cater for all age groups…………….......……….85 Radio programme that interests respondent most.....................................86 Radio programprogrammes mentioned……………………........……....86 Rating the quality of programmes………………………....…....……….88

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We would like to extend our utmost appreciation to Dataline International Limited for their contribution in the preparation and submission of this survey. We particularly would like to thank Mr. B. M. Mathenge, Mr. Leonard Radoli and Benda Kithaka for their contribution. We also acknowledge all those who went out to the field to collect information that was crucial to the success of this survey. Special mention also goes to all those who participated in providing information that was crucial in the compilation of this report.

Status of Media in Kenya

2012

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

his is the report of a survey conducted to establish the status of the media in Kenya. It is the culmination of research commissioned by the Media Council of Kenya. In general, the media in Kenya serves the tradition of informing, entertaining and educating the Kenyan society. The findings of this study are that the media are given credit for highlighting development issues, for carrying educative programmes and for introducing new, exciting and diverse content. However, mainstream media, especially TV and radio, is perceived to be similar in content and scheduling, thus limiting the viewer’s options for switching channels. Similarly, it is felt that while the issuance of many radio and TV licenses, led to media liberalization, it has not resulted in the envisaged pluralism of view. The authoritative and incisive reporting for public interest has somewhat been lost. There is a lot of audience pandering with the public being presented with what they want to hear, read about or see, while ignoring the young by airing adult content during daytime and during primetime. However, media is generally credited with exposing the rot in society. Amongst other findings, the survey found that journalism training opportunities have increased. However, quality of training is compromised by lack of proper training standards, infrastructure constraints and low lecturer qualifications. The study also found out that most journalists are aware of the Code of Ethics for Journalists. They consider integrity, accuracy, objectivity, freedom of speech and adherence to the laid- down rules as most critical aspects of the Code. Most respondents are of the view that the main challenge for regulators is to ensure journalists adhere to the Code. The media is characterized by considerable media concentration. The study established that while the CCK, in its current listing, has 110 media owners, the media scene is dominated by less than 10 players. Some are cross-media owners with interests in print, electronic and online media. The industry has lobbied successfully against legal limitations on cross-media ownership, arguing that such limitations would stifle the growth of the media industry. There are five prominent media houses and a few individually owned enterprises in Kenya who between them own six (6) daily newspapers, 11 weekly magazines, 20 monthly magazines, 301 radio stations, and 83 television channels. Programming is in English, Kiswahili, and a variety of vernacular languages. The study also found out that Kenyan media has embraced the internet. All the major daily newspapers have properly registered Kenya country code domain names and operational web sites. Additionally, journalists have taken to the social media like duck to water; such networks enable journalist to interact and debate topical issues with wider audiences and to more efficiently collate the views of the public than ever before. There is also vibrant online citizen journalism. Yet another finding was that there is galloping trend whereby ‘celebrities’ and ‘comedians’ are recruited as programme presenters. This study found that this trend is resulting in more commercialization and sexualization of news, thereby diluting the integrity of journalism. Trained journalists are denied job opportunities in favour of beautiful faces and fast mouths jabbering in fake foreign accents. The study also found out that media owners 9

are widely believed to influence content, reporting style and personalities at their media houses. As far as media freedom is concerned, Kenyan media is largely seen as free. The media now enjoy more freedom now than they did during the regimes of President Jomo Kenyatta and Daniel arap Moi in the years 1963 to 2002. While this freedom is good, it is seen to carry with it some social ills, including use of dirty language, indecent content and general lack of professionalism.

Status of Media in Kenya

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PART 1

PRELIMINARIES

Chapter 1 Introduction

his is arguably the first comprehensive report detailing the Status of the Media in Kenya. It was commissioned by the Media Council of Kenya (MCK) and its overall purpose was to understand the state of the media in Kenya. The Report comes at a time when the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s media scene and regulatory climate has been thoroughly transformed following the promulgation of the Kenya Constitution 2010 which for the first time expressly guarantees media freedom in Article 34. The media sector has also grown tremendously after the economic liberalization of the 1990s. MCK commissioned Dataline International Ltd to conduct a countrywide survey whose aim was to establish the status of the media in Kenya since 2009, to map out the pattern of media ownership including plurality and diversity in content, to point out constraints faced by media practitioners in the line of duty, and to tease out the perceptions of Kenyans on the role of the MCK in self-regulation in the practice of journalism in Kenya. Press Freedom as a High Value This research project is executed with a bias to press or media freedom. Freedom is considered by many thinkers and scholars to be the highest value of a human being (Kant, 1996). Given its important

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role in human life, freedom is the subject of many writings, from poetry to philosophy, from psychology and history to politics, economics, and religion. One of the most prolific thinkers of the 19th Century, John Stuart Mill (1869) in his work, On Liberty, argues that freedom is the absence of coercion. The 20th Century political philosopher and historian of ideas Isaiah Berlin wrote in his famous essay “Two Concepts of Liberty” (1958) of the difference between the two concepts of positive freedom and negative freedom. Positive freedom is about having the means or opportunity to do things, while negative freedom is the situation when an individual is protected from tyranny and the arbitrary exercise of authority (Carter, 2007). Freedom of expression is an umbrella term for various actions such as the freedom of speech, the freedom of publications, and the freedom of demonstrations (Abbas and AlFadhly, 2005). In recent years, freedom of expression has come to mean not only media freedom but also the openness of public discourse, and the robustness and diversity of the civil society, an independent judiciary and existence and respect of political speech. Press or media freedom, while admittedly part of freedom of expression, is a special kind of freedom. Hachten defines the freedom of the press as “the right of the press to report, to comment on, and to criticize its own government without retaliation or threat of retaliation from the authority,” which he calls “the right to talk politics” (2005). Media freedom is vital to democratic governance. In the transitional Kenyan state, media freedom is crucial to the deepening of the emergent democracy hence the need to monitor it constantly. TERMS OF REFERENCE The terms of reference for this study were to: (a) Find out the trends in the media over the past three years. (b) Establish and measure the levels of content diversity, quality, access and reach between different media outlets and how these relate to media ownership. (c) Assess Kenyans’ perceptions of the quality and diversity of products and services. (d) Establish the public’s perceptions of media freedom and practices among Kenyan media houses and other stakeholders. (e) Examine the geographical distribution of frequencies and readership in Kenya. (f) Give quantitative information that could be used as baseline data against which future media performance assessment could be measured. (g) Examine media associations and training institutions in Kenya. It is hoped that this study largely meets the terms of reference and goes beyond to contextualize the status of the media in Kenya.

Chapter 2 Historical Background

The Colonial Era ince the colonial days the press has been a major tool of communication in this country. The British used it to maintain their rule over their African colonies. Individuals and civilian corporations were not allowed to own media houses. The means of communication across great distances were limited to the British Army. Many leaders, including Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, voiced their concerns about the freedom of movement and speech. Their grievances at the time mark the stirrings of the freedom struggle early in the 20th Century. As is the case in any other society, the development of media in Kenya has, over time, been influenced by social and economic changes. Christian missionaries â&#x20AC;&#x201C; under the Rev. Albert Stegal of the Church Missionary Society â&#x20AC;&#x201C; commissioned the first Press in Kenya by publishing the Taveta Chronicle in 1895. After the partitioning of the continent by colonial powers and the establishment of their administrations, settler authorities began to have a direct influence on the development of media in Kenya. In 1901, Asian trader Alibhai Mulla Jeevanjee set up The East African Standard and later sold it to white settlers. Colonial media generally excluded indigenous African voices. In many ways, the colonial media served as a tool

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for perpetuating settler ideals across Kenya Protectorate. The clamour for self-rule by the indigenous African population, starting from the mid-1920s, led to the development of several African-language publications in Kenya. These publications were essentially vehicles for spreading the liberation gospel among African communities, and ventilating the grievances of African nationalists (Abuoga and Mutere, 1988). According to Makali (2004), the legal, regulatory and policy framework governing the media during the colonial era was closely tied to the political and economic interests of the colonial government and white settler communities. The nationalist movement, the Mau Mau War, the State of Emergency and Her Majestyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitment to give Kenya Independence also influenced colonial laws and policies governing the media. The authoritarian colonial governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dominant perception of the Press was always that of an unnecessary evil that deserved close supervision and control. Initially, the Press was merely a vehicle for disseminating government information to the citizenry, especially the White settler communities. As early as the 1920s, nationalist movements and the Press had started opposing paternalistic colonial policies such as forced alienation of land, forced labour and taxation and racial segregation. The colonial government feared a free and thriving nationalist Press that acted as the mouthpiece for political agitation. It enacted the Penal Code in 1930, the Emergency Order in Council in 1939, repealed The Newspaper Ordinance in 1950 to control alleged seditious nationalist publications. The breakout of the Mau Mau War and the Declaration of the State of Emergency in 1952 gave the colonial government the excuse to ban all indigenous publications and to intensify the suppression of the nationalist movement (Makali, 2004). However, the colonial government became conciliatory towards the media after the lifting of the Emergency and after it became clear that the commitment towards Kenyan Independence was irreversible. For the first time, the colonial administration not only allowed the publishing of district political association newspapers but also sponsored some district newspapers such as Kihoto, a Kikuyu weekly, Thome in Kamba and Ramogi in Dholuo. Unfortunately, they undid the gains achieved that far by enacting the Books and Newspapers Act in 1960 to control the proliferation of the nationalist press. Turning to broadcasting, the colonial government strictly controlled and censored radio programmes since their inception in 1927 when the Cable Wire Limited, the then radio operator began broadcasting in Kenya to serve mainly Whites. The Department of Information, formed in 1939, served the African Languages Broadcasting Service that transmitted programs in only Luo, Kikuyu, Kamba, Kipsigis, Nandi, Luhya, and Kiswahili. Its attempt to provide the country with a nationwide broadcasting system failed in 1954 after rejection by the white setter communities. The government set up the Kenya National Broadcasting Service (KBS) in 1959, following positive recommendation by the Pound Commission in 1959. The KBS was modeled along the lines of the BBC as an independent and autonomous public broadcaster because of colonial anxiety and tension regarding irreversible developments towards political independence. Therefore, the colonial government did not put in place the foundations for a thriving home-grown indigenous broadcasting system. 15

The Kenyatta Era In independent Kenya, Press freedom has had its ups and downs. Due to decades of weak legal protection, Press freedom in Kenya has been dependent on politicians’ interpretation and goodwill (Abuoga and Mutere, 1988).When Kenya’s first President, Jomo Kenyatta, and his nationalist colleagues took power upon independence, they were keenly aware of the power of the Press. They set out to manipulate and control the media for propaganda purposes, believing that the media could be forcibly enlisted for nation building. The Government allowed independent and foreign-owned media to co-exist but was apprehensive about the media playing a watchdog role that could cause disaffection towards it. While the independent government nationalized KBS in 1964 and named it the Voice of Kenya (VoK), its intentions for the print media were rather ambiguous. The Kenyatta government allowed and even encouraged media freedom in some instances and totally rejected it in others. The government enacted the Official Secrets’ Act in 1968 to deal with a series of leaks that made the Government vulnerable to political pressure. The Government’s ban of its own mouthpiece, Pan African magazine, because of fear of internal criticism (Marcel et al. 2001) illustrates its paranoia towards the media. The factors that shaped media law and policy during the Kenyatta regime include the urgent need for national unity and development, political rivalry and ideological issues surrounding media ownership. Immediate changes were felt under Kenyatta’s rule. There was more freedom of expression for Kenyans. The Moi Era Daniel arap Moi became the President of Kenya in August 1978. Several issues shaped his attitude towards the mass media; particularly the intense political rivalry between Kenyatta and Odinga, an attempted military coup in 1982, the economic recession that led to the International Monetary Fund’s stifling of structural adjustment programmes, and popular agitation for economic and political liberalization. Under the Moi Presidency (1978-2002), the media scene retained a sense of normalcy briefly, until 1982, when there was an attempted coup d’état. After the coup, Moi changed drastically as he sought to purge his government of dissenters and consolidate power. He turned the country into a de-jure one-party state after repealing the constitution to bar formation of political parties to compete with then ruling party, KANU. The media was not allowed to challenge the Government or publish anything against it. The Government harassed the media through sedition trials of the editors of the underground Press and later banned independent and critical publications (KNHRC, 1997). Many journalists and activists were arrested and detained, making their way to years of incarceration via the infamous Nyayo House torture chambers in the capital city’s CBD, in the same building as the Nairobi Provincial Administration HQ. Following an act of parliament, the Voice of Kenya was renamed the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) and designated as a parastatal of the Government in 1989. Harsh criticism of the State by the Press went hand-in-hand with the emergence of opposition politics and this environment was a far cry from the conformist media of 16

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the earlier era. Yet journalists were still intimidated, threatened and imprisoned by the Government. The repeal of Section 2(a) of the Constitution in 1991 to allow formation of parties not only ushered in plural politics but also precipitated the liberalization of the media and communications sector. The introduction of multiparty politics in 1991 widened the scope of political and press freedom and led to the proliferation of independent newspapers and magazines. The proliferation of mass media, economic demands and pressure from donors and civil society forced the Government to review the laws governing the media with a view to liberalizing the airwaves, abolishing restrictive media laws, and harmonizing the Kenya Posts and Telecommunications and Kenya Broadcasting Acts. The liberalization of the airwaves started in 1991, albeit in an unstructured and uncoordinated manner. It went on – grudgingly – over the years. The Attorney General set up the first Task Force on Press Law in 1993 under the chairmanship of veteran journalist Hilary Ng’weno to review and make recommendations on a comprehensive legal framework for the exercise of freedom of the Press and the development of dynamic and responsible print and electronic media. The task force submitted its report to the Attorney General, but the resulting two Bills, The Kenya Mass Media Commission Bill (1995) to regulate the operations of the mass media, and The Press Council of Kenya Bill (1995) for the registration of the Press Council of Kenya, failed to capture the spirit of the Task Force (BPCB, 1998). The media, civil society and opposition parties rejected the Bills, which they considered to be in bad taste and draconian, as they failed to protect the right to information, to protect journalists, publishers and broadcasters and gave government unfair representation in the proposed regulatory body. The Government tactfully shelved the two Bills and reconstituted the Task Force in 1996 with Horace Awori, former chairman of the Foreign Correspondents’ Association, as the chairman. Although the process was participatory and broad-ranging, the final report presented to government in May 1998 failed to reflect the main concerns of the media industry. The Awori Task Force report was in this sense similar to the Bills which had been rejected in 1995. The media rebelled against the government-led review process and instead endorsed a Kenya Union of Journalists-led media review task force. The Kenya Union of Journalists prepared the Media Bill 1998, the Framework for Free and Independent Press for the Task Force on Press and Media Law in April 1998. It made recommendations for the establishment of an Independent Mass Media Commission and the Media Council of Kenya and the repeal of Section 79 of the Constitution of Kenya to be replaced with a new provision that would guarantee freedom of the media, protection of journalists, publishers, broadcasters and the right of access to information (KUJ, 1998). The Government simply ignored it. The pressure to review media laws increased and Moi reluctantly caved in during the 1997 Inter-Party Parliamentary Group talks to repeal sections 52, 53, 54, 57, 58, 66, 67 and 121 of the State Law that hindered freedom of expression, assembly and which criminalized the free flow of published documented information in Kenya (Marcel et al., 1997). Throughout the attempts to review media laws, there was a general lack of linkage between task forces and Bills on media law and telecommunication law (Ministry 17

of Tourism and Information, 2004). Telecommunication services, characterized by political interference, excessive controls, low universal access to information, low Internet connectivity, low quality and high prices, had been neglected for a long time and were limited to major towns to the exclusion of rural communities. Internal, regional and global market demands as well as the economic promises of privatization forced the Government to half-heartedly review the Kenya Posts and Telecommunication Act. Initially, the Government split the Kenya Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (KP&TC) into two in March 1997 through the Kenya Communication Bill (1997) and the Postal Corporation Bill (April, 1997). Unfortunately, the Government did not liberalize the sector fully when it took the bills to Parliament in 1998. It finally dismantled KP&TC into the Communication Commission of Kenya, Telkom Kenya Limited and Postal Corporation of Kenya. This was a case of half-hearted liberalization motivated by political and economic interests to create new mechanisms for State control of the communications sector. In spite of the foregoing, the Kenyan media gained the reputation of being a fierce defender of good governance and democracy. The media continued to expose corruption and check official excesses in government (BBC World Service Trust, 2008). In May 2002, a new unpopular Media Bill was passed. It enforced a long-standing wish of the Moi regime: to impose a bond of KSh1 million ($ 11,900) for publishers. The move scared off a number of small-time publishers, especially in the magazine sector, as they could not afford the bond (KNHCR Report, 1997). The Kibaki Era After the 2002 General Election and the advent of the Kibaki Presidency, the media was reborn and even became more powerful. This was evident with the introduction of new political and comedy programming which would have been virtually impossible to broadcast under Moi and Kenyatta. The Kenyan Press enjoyed much freedom until the aftermath of the disputed Presidential election of 2007, when the media was briefly gagged and prohibited from live coverage of post-election violence (PEV) which led to more than 800 deaths (Kriegler report, 2008; Waki report, 2008; KNHCR report, 2008). After the PEV, Kenyan media came under heavy scrutiny with the media role in the PEV being scrutinized and the media being indicted for the violence by some analysts. Some media were said to have led to hatred between communities, hence the killings and the destruction. Kenyan media was seen as being as much an answer to Kenyaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s problems as it is a problem (Kriegler Report, 2008). Generally speaking, Kenya has enjoyed a higher level of Press freedom compared to other developing countries (Ogundimu, 2002). One reason may be the education of journalists in this country. The level and variety of journalism education in Kenya is among the highest in Africa (Merill, 1994). Nairobi has emerged as the media centre in East and Central Africa.

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Contemporary Regulatory Situation The mass media and communication sector in Kenya remains vulnerable to internal and external pressures. The sectorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vulnerability is captured by the 2007/2008 post-election violence and the resulting ban on live broadcasting. Laws governing the media in Kenya are fragmented and exist in different sections of civil and criminal laws. However, for the first time, media freedom has been enshrined in the constitution, the supreme law of Kenya. The disparate statutes that deal with media (mainstream media, vernacular media, community media and even new media such as SMS messages and blogs) include: The Defamation Act, Cap 36; The Penal Code, Cap 63; The Books and Newspapers Act, Cap 111; the Copyright Act, Cap 130; the Preservation of Public Security Act, Cap 57; the Public Order Act, Cap 56; the Film and Stage Plays Act, Cap 222 (1962); the Chief â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Authority Act, Cap 128; the Official Secrets Act, Cap 187 of 1968; the Police Act, Cap 84; the Armed Forces Act, Cap 199; Communication Commission of Kenya Act of 1998; Kenya Broadcasting Act, Cap 221 of 1998, ICT Act of 2007 and the Media Act, 2007 (ICJK, 1999). Some of these laws will have to be repealed so that they do not contradict the constitution. The key media regulators are the Ministry of Information and Communications (MoIC), Communication Commission of Kenya, Media Council of Kenya (MCK), Kenya Film Commission (KFC), the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), and the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC).

Chapter 3 Methodology

he study employed both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. The researchers used in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, content analysis and desk-top research. This was carried out at three levels: Secondary Sources This involved a comprehensive review of relevant literature, including journals, media policy documents, and media laws and media performance review papers. In-depth interviews These included detailed discussions with media experts, journalists, media managers, editors, researchers, practitioners, regulators and audience/citizens. In-depth Interviews [IDIs] are a qualitative research technique that involves conducting intensive individual interviews with a target respondent on a one-to-one basis to explore their perspectives relating to the research objectives. They are useful when one wants to explore issues in depth and especially if the potential respondents may not be comfortable talking openly in a group, or when it is difficult to

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put all respondents together to form a focus group due to geographic dispersion and/or the nature of their work. IDIs were applied to get information from industry players and key stakeholders in the media industry. This was necessitated to ensure that the views of the industry players were included; with both sides of the stakeholders being given the opportunity to give their views. The IDIs were conducted with the key respondents, at convenient times and locations for the respondents. A total of seven IDIs were conducted with key industry players, covering heads of various journalist representative bodies, senior editors, key media practitioners and an official from the Ministry of Information and Communications. All interviews were conducted face-to-face, and recorded. The information was then transcribed and analyzed using grids. Focus group discussions Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) are a form of qualitative research in which a group of between 6 and 14 people are brought together in an interactive group setting. Guided by a moderator who often uses a guide, the participants are free to talk with each other during the interview process. Focus groups provide insights and in-depth information relating to motives governing behaviour patterns. Nine focus group discussions covering print, radio and TV programmes were conducted. These aided feedback on content diversity, quality, access and reach between different media. The focus groups’ objectives were to: 1) Establish current usage patterns and factors that determine choice of the media consumed 2) Explore the general public’s awareness relating to the various available sources of media from a consumer perspective and their perceptions in terms of Content Diversity, Quality, Appeal, Access and Reach 3) Establish the public’s perceptions of media freedom and practices among Kenyan media houses and other stakeholders, including the perceived role government plays in the media 4) Examine the awareness and perceptions of the role of the Media Council of Kenya FOCUS GROUP DEMOGRAPHICS Number of Respondents and Age A total of 78 people participated in the FGDs. The participants ranged in age from 21 to 40 years. The table below outlines the age ranges.

Table 1: Focus Group Discussions demographics Age Range Number of Participants 21 to 25 Years 36 25 to 30 Years 25 31 to 35 Years 10 36 to 40 Years 7 Total 78 As seen from the table above, the majority of respondents in the FGDs were below the age of 30. Employment Participants in the focus groups were from diverse backgrounds, with a mix of both selfemployed business owners, as well as employees from various companies and small business enterprises. There were also some students from various colleges pursuing certificate and diploma courses after completion of their ‘O’-levels education. Marital Status and Number of Children A number of the respondents were married with children, with some of the younger respondents being single. A few of the respondents, however, were in ‘come-we-stay,’ or cohabiting, relationships. An English Language Discussion Guide with a set of questions that addressed the research objectives was developed; the questions were then reviewed by the moderator for conformity with focus group settings and dynamics. Participant recruitment was carried out by a team of experienced research assistants prior to the commencement of the focus groups discussions. Discussions were held in Nairobi, Mombasa, Eldoret and Kisumu. All focus groups were conducted in English and lasted approximately 2½ hours. Nine focus groups were conducted at the four sites between February 22nd and March 8th 2012. These were as follows:

Status of Media in Kenya

Table 2: Focus Group Discussion schedule Date Location Participants 22/ 2 / 2012 Nairobi Male Group – Print Media 23/ 2 / 2012 Nairobi Mixed Group – TV Media 24/ 2 / 2012 Nairobi Mixed Group – Radio Media 29/ 2 / 2012 Mombasa Female Group – All Media 1/ 3 / 2012 Mombasa Male Group – All Media 5/ 3 / 2012 Eldoret Female Group – All Media 6/ 3 / 2012 Eldoret Male Group – All Media 7/ 3 / 2012 Kisumu Female Group – All Media 8/ 3 / 2012 Kisumu Male Group – All Media

2012

No. of People 9 10 8 7 9 8 8 10 9

With the exception of the Nairobi Groups, other groups were deliberately arranged to be gender specific. Experience working with coastal women as well as women from other towns in Kenya indicates that they are more likely to honour an invitation to attend and will share information more openly if it is a women-only meeting than if it is mixed with the men. They are also less restrained to share their opinions and experiences when men are not present. All focus groups were conducted in English. They lasted approximately 2 ½ hours. Each FGD was tape-recorded and later transcribed. Venue Selection The recruitment team on the ground in each town selected a venue for the focus groups to carry out their tasks. These were selected taking into consideration proximity to town, accessibility, low noise levels and reputable establishments to ensure respondent ease and comfort in attending the groups. Participant Recruitment Participant recruitment was carried out by a team of experienced Research Assistants from Dataline International prior to the focus groups. The respondents were recruited from pre-set criteria, about which the head of research debriefed the team of interviewers. Content analysis Content analysis of audio, video and print media was obtained partly from the quantitative survey data and from Reelforge Media Monitoring, who provided some comparative data. QUANTITATIVE Questionnaire A detailed questionnaire was designed and discussed in detail with the client. It was subsequently piloted on a number of target respondents in Nairobi before being finally approved for use in the survey. 23

SAMPLING PROCEDURE There were different categories of the people whose feedback was critical to answering the terms of reference. These included media owners, media managers, editors, regulators, journalists and the general public who consume media content, by listening to and viewing the radio and TV programmes and reading newspaper and magazine stories and features. The sampling procedure is therefore non-parametric. Sample size The questionnaire was administered to a sample of 2,288, broken down as follows: Table 3: Respondents interviewed CATEGORY Media owners Managing Editors Journalists/Reporters/Writers Editors The Editorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Guild Kenya Correspondents Association Kenya Union of Journalists Regulators (CCK/Media Council) Lecturers in media training Institutions Kenya Police Lawyers/Media House lawyers Ministry of Information and Communications Advertising Agencies (Media planners) Media consumers (members of the public) TOTAL

SAMPLE 10 5 250 10 5 10 20 5 10

ACTUAL 1 4

20 20 5 5 2,000 2,375

18 25 1 1 2,087 2,288

143

1 7

Table 4: Areas visited REGIONS TOWNS Nairobi CBD, Makadara, Starehe, Embakasi, Langata, Dagoretti, Westlands

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Coast

Voi, Wundanyi, Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi, Malindi

Eastern

Embu, Meru, Machakos, Kitui, Kangundo

Central

Limuru, Kiambu, Thika, Muranga, Karatina, Nyeri, Kiganjo, Kerugoya, Nyahururu Kajiado, Kitengela, Ongata Rongai, Ngong, Naivasha, Narok, Gilgil, Nakuru, Kericho Kitale, Eldoret, Kapsabet

Lower Rift Upper Rift Nyanza Western

Kisumu, Maseno, Siaya, Kisii, Rongo, Migori, Oyugis, Kendu Bay, Homa Bay Busia, Malaba, Bungoma, Webuye, Mumias, Butere, Kakamega, Kaimosi

DEMOGRAPHY Table 5: Quantitative Respondent Demographics Gender Number Male 1,337 Female 951

58 42

Age Group 18-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50+ Not specified

442 576 495 296 216 149 104 10

19 25 22 13 9 7 5 0

Education Primary Secondary College University Not specified

251 582 847 566 42

11 25 37 25 2

DATA COLLECTION Research assistants administered the questionnaire face-to-face to the target respondents in all the areas visited.

DATA ANALYSIS The data was analyzed using SPSS to reflect the age, gender and education of the respondents.

Status of Media in Kenya

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PART II

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

Chapter 4 Media Ownership, Size And Diversity

he authority to issues broadcasting licenses rests with the Communication Commission of Kenya (CCK) as per the CCK Act of 1998. An estimated 301 radio stations, 83 television stations have been licensed by the CCK as of April 2012 (CCK April 2012 listing of media owner contacts) However, it is argued that lack of transparency, impartiality and fairness has been witnessed in the allocation of broadcast licenses and frequencies during the former President Daniel arap Moiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s era which led to secrecy with which the identities of broadcast station owners were treated. Media Distribution The 2008 report by the Media Council of Kenya on the State of the Media in Kenya revealed that a majority of radio and television stations in Kenya are owned by a few corporations and individuals. In some instances, media owners own both radio and television stations. According to the CCK list of media ownerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contacts released in April 2012, there are 110 media owners in Kenya. In terms of distribution, frequencies and TV channels are well distributed across the country. Most regions in Kenya have access to one or more FM radio station, with major urban areas having access to 10 or more stations. Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and a few major urban towns have a greater

Status of Media in Kenya

2012

concentration of radio and television frequencies and channels. During the 2006/2007 year, the total number of pending applications for frequencies stood at 470 for FM sound and 138 for TV broadcasting. CCK issued 104 frequencies for sound and 34 for TV in 2005 and only 20 FM and 4 TV frequencies in 2006/2007 (CCK, 2007). Higher circulation of dailies is recorded in major urban towns. Trends in media ownership Stiff competition in an increasingly crowded liberalized media market has led to an emerging trend in media concentration and cross-media ownership in Kenya. (Oriare et al 2010). This has been a concern as media owners tend to influence the editorial content, reporting style, news sources and personalities employed by media houses in this country. Such situations compromise the accuracy, credibility and impartiality principles in news gathering and dissemination to various audiences. A major study on media ownership and concentration in America rooted for the introduction of monopoly legislation other than limiting ownership arguing that abuse of media ownership can take place whether there is a limited number of media owners or not (Noam 2009). In his Saturday Nation column, “Fair Play,” in October 2006, Mr. Peter Mwaura argues that since media ownership and concentration is at its formative stage, limiting it “… will most likely thwart its development.” But his bigger argument was on technology; he suggested the need for “the expansion of the media so that it reaches more people and provides greater opportunities for the exchange of information and ideas.” On cross media ownership, Mr. Mwaura further notes: “But, more importantly for Kenya, cross-media ownership has the advantage of providing the synergies and economies of scale necessary for expansion and improvement. To prohibit cross-media ownership is to lock in those synergies and economies of scale necessary for the development of the media.” A relatively new phenomenon in Kenya is equity ownership through the stockmarket where Kenyans now own shares in the Nation Media Group and the Standard Group. However, stock ownership remains small and private interests still control ownership in these media companies. Partnership initiatives have also emerged in the media market in Kenya. For instance, the Multi Choice and Safaricom partnered to give Kenya its first Television service on mobile technology. Furthermore, the Wananchi Group, an Internet service provider, has given Kenya its first cable TV on an Internet platform. International media networks such as the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and the Voice of America (VoK) are in partnership with local Kenyan media to retransmit their broadcasts. For example, the BBC is in partnership with Kameme FM to relay its programmes locally. The following is a comprehensive list of media owners and the media outlet owned in Kenya. •

His Highness the Aga Khan is the principal shareholder in the Nation Media 29

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Group (NMG); Former President Daniel Moi, his son Gideon Moi and former Presidential aide Joshua Kulei own the Standard Group (SG) through Baraza Limited Samuel Macharia and his wife own Royal Media Services Limited. Industrialist Chris Kirubi owns the Capital Group; The Transcentury Group owns the now-defunct Kenya Times Media Trust; Messrs. Patrick Quarcoo and William Pike own six radio stations and a newspaper through the Radio Africa Group Ms Rose Kimotho founded Kameme FM, GTV and K24 TV through Regional Reach but this has changed hands to MediaMax, connected to the Kenyatta family Leo Slingerland is the proprietor of Family Radio and Family TV Mr. Joshua Chepkwony owns Kass FM (CIDA, 2008). The Standard Group also launched an FM radio Station, Radio Maisha, in midMay 2010 after buying out Ms. Sheila Amdany’s Simba Radio. Prime Minister Raila Odinga and others are associated with Radio Umoja and Nam Lolwe FM. Kenneth Matiba established The People newspapers through Kalamka Ltd but this has since been taken over by MediaMax. The Government owns Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) The Catholic Church owns Radio Waumini Christ is the Answer Ministries is the proprietor of Hope FM Mang’elete Community Integrated Development Programme, a women’s organization, owns and controls Radio Mang’elete in Kibwezi in the eastern part of Kenya Shinyalu Community Multi-Media Centre, started by Masinde Muliro University in partnership with UNESCO, owns Shinyalu FM The people of Rarieda, through Bondo Community Multi-Media Centre, own Radio Maendeleo; Koch FM in the Korogocho slums, Pamoja FM in the Kibera slums and Ghetto FM in Pumwani are community-owned radio stations. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Germany’s Deutsche Welle (DW), Radio France Presse (RFP) Voice of America (VoA) and Radio China are among foreign news agencies representing international media ownership in Kenya.

MEDIA OWNERS Radio Stations Kenya’s media scene has grown exponentially over the last three years. The country has 301 radio stations categorized as being “on-air.” While there are 110 media individuals listed as owning media houses in Kenya, the media scene is dominated by less than 10 major players with interests in print, broadcast and online media. Key players among others in 30

Status of Media in Kenya

2012

radio broadcasting and ownership include names such as Mr. Samwel K. Macharia, His Highness the Aga Khan, Mr. Patrick Quarcoo, Mr Chris Kirubi, and interests associated with former President Daniel arap Moi, the Kenyatta family business interests, and the state-owned Kenya Broadcasting Corporation. The Royal Media Services(RMS) owned by S. K Macharia owns the leading Citizen TV Channel and 11 other radio stations broadcasting in different vernacular languages such as Ramogi FM (Dholuo), Chamgei (Kalenjin), Mulembe (Luhya), Egesa (Ekegusi), Muuga (Kimeru), among others and a number of other frequencies not on air. RMS also holds a number of unutilized frequencies although the government through the CCK has made attempts to repossess frequencies held by RMS (Open Society 2011). His Highness the Aga Khan is also a major shareholder in the Nation Media Group (NMG) which has extensive print and electronic media interests in the East Africa region. The NMG owns two FM stations, seven newspapers, several magazines and NTV. Mr. Patrick Quarcoo, originally from Ghana, owns, through the Radio Africa, six radio stations, the Star newspaper and a TV Channel. Mr Chris Kirubi owns the Capital Group while business interests associated with the former President Daniel arap Moi and his close business associates own the Standard Group through Baraza Ltd. The Standard Group owns Radio Maisha and three newspapers as well as KTN TV. It is not clear what the Kenyatta family owns in the media sector, but the family has been assoicated with MediaMax, formerly TV Africa Holdings, a company that owns The People Daily, Kameme FM, K24 TV and the local franchise for GTV (Open Society 2011). In 2007, TV Africa Holdings had bought STV from veteran journalist Hillary Ngâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;weno. MediaMax therefore has two TV licenses. The Government owns the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation radio as the only public radio broadcasting station with over 11 other radio stations broadcasting in various regions in Kenya. Table 6 illustrates in detail radio owners and radio channels broadcasted in various regions in Kenya. Table 6: Ownership of radio stations ROYAL MEDIA SERVICES

Radio Station Bahari

Language Presence/ Reach Kiswahili/ Mombasa/ Miji Kenda Coast

Chamgei

Kalenjin

Rift Valley

Target audience Content Coastal populace

News, interactive shows, sports, taarab/bongo music, entertainment Kalenjin speakers Kalenjin music, educative and informative features

Citizen

Kiswahili

Major towns

Swahili speakers

Egesa

Kisii

Nairobi/ Nyanza/Rift Valley

Kisii speakers

Hot 96

English/ Kiswahili

Major towns

Urban youth

Inooro

Kikuyu

Nairobi/ Nakuru/ Mt. Kenya/ Eldoret/ Mombasa

Kikuyu Speakers

Mulembe

Luhya

Nairobi/ Luhya speakers Western/Rift Valley

Musyi

Muuga

10. Ramogi

11. Wimwaro

1. 2.

Radio Station Coro FM General Service

News, entertainment, sports, interactive shows Kisii music, news, sports, business features, interactive shows Pop music, news, interactive shows, entertainment. News, business features, interactive talk shows, health, agriculture, Kikuyu music, sports, politics, greetings

Segmented programmes for small, medium and large scale farmers Kamba Nairobi/ Kamba speakers Sports, music, Ukambani news, talk shows, interactive features Meru Meru/ Meru speakers News, interactive Embu/ shows, music, comIsiolo/Mwea edy, theatre Dholuo Nairobi/ Dholuo speakers News, information, Rift Valley/ interactive shows, Nyanza Lingala and benga music, sports Embu Nairobi/ Embu speakers News, interactive Eastern shows, book clubs KENYA BROADCASTING CORPORATION Language Presence/ Reach Kikuyu Nairobi/ Central English Nationwide

Target audience Content Central Kikuyu speakers English speakers

News, entertainment News, Government communications

Status of Media in Kenya

3. 4. 5.

KBC Central KBC Eastern

KBC North Eastern KBC Western Kitwek

Minto

Nosimu

2012

Kiswahili/ Central Kikuyu Kiswahili/ Eastern Kamba/ Meru Kiswahili North Eastern

Kikuyu

News, entertainment

Eastern Bantu speakers

News, entertainment

Kiswahili/ Western Luhya Kalenjin North/ Central Rift Valley Meru Upper Eastern Maasai South Rift

Luhya speakers

Cushitic speakers News, entertainment News, entertainment

Kalenjin speakers News, entertainment Meru speakers

News, entertainment News, entertainment

10. Pwani FM

Kiswahili

Swahili

11. Radio Taifa 12. Venus FM (formerly Metro)

Kiswahili

Nationwide

Maasai speaking populace Coastal Swahili speakers Swahili speakers

English

Nairobi/ major towns

Young female listeners

News, entertainment News, Government communications Pop culture music

RADIO AFRICA

Radio Language Presence/ Station Reach Classic FM English Major towns

East FM

Kiss FM

Radio Jambo

English/ Hindu English

Nairobi

Kiswahili

Major towns

Target audience Content Urban/Periurban Urban Hindu Urban/Periurban Swahili speakers

Classic soul music, interactive shows Oriental Indian music Pop music, news, interactive shows Sports, news, music, interactive shows

X-FM

English

Major towns

Urban rock lovers NATION MEDIA GROUP

1. 2.

Radio Station Easy FM Q-FM

Language Presence/ Reach English Major towns Kiswahili Major towns

Western rock music

Target audience Content Urban mature Nationwide periurban/rural

Music, news, sports News, music, interactive shows, comedy and theatre

THE STANDARD GROUP

Radio Station Radio Maisha

Language Presence/ Reach Kiswahili Major towns

Target audience Content Nationwide Swahili speakers

News, music, interactive shows, comedy, theatre

MEDIA MAX

Radio Station Kameme FM

Language Presence/ Target audience Content Reach Kikuyu Nairobi, Kikuyu speakers Central, Nakuru, Eldoret CAPITAL GROUP

Radio Language Presence/ Station Reach 1. Capital FM English Nairobi and major towns Source: Reelforge Media Monitoring

Target audience Content Urban youth

Print media Kenya has six daily national newspapers and more than 11 weekly newspapers. Print industry further records more than 20 monthly magazines, eight bi-monthly and six quarterly magazines. The print publications in the market target various audiences. Table 7 gives comprehensive details of main stream newspaper publications, the owners and other print publications in the market including the targeted audience.

Status of Media in Kenya

2012

Table 7: Ownership of daily newspapers OWNER

PUBLICATION

The Standard The Standard Group Nation Taifa Leo Media Group Daily Nation MediaMax

ESTABLISHED

TARGET

DOMINANT CONTENT

1902

All demographics Swahili speaking All demographics All demographics All demographics Entrepreneurs

News, politics, business, sports News, politics, business, sports News, politics, business, sports News, politics, business, sports News, politics, business, sports Business news

1958 1960

The People Daily 2005

Radio Africa The Star

2007

Nation Business Daily 2009 Media Group Source: Reelforge Media Monitoring Table 8: Daily newspapers PUBLICATION ESTABLISHED

TARGET

The Standard

1902

All demographics

Taifa Leo

1958

Swahili speaking

Daily Nation

1960

All demographics

The People Daily

2005

All demographics

The Star

2007

All demographics

Business Daily 2009 Source: Reelforge Media Monitoring

Entrepreneurs

DOMINANT CONTENT News, politics, business, sports News, politics, business, sports News, politics, business, sports News, politics, business, sports News, politics, business, sports Business news

OTHER PUBLICATIONS IN THE MARKET Table 9: Other publications (weeklies, monthlies and bi-monthlies) WEEKLIES MONTHLIES BI-MONTHLIES QUARTERLIES Financial Post African Business Biashara Leo Host Africa Coast Week African Woman Go Places Her Inside Kenya Today Business Monthly EA Business Post HMG The County Weekly Nairobi Law Monthly Sokoni Chobo (Standard) New African Up Doctor News The County Weekly Parents Safari Digest (Nation) Business Journal Africa BBC Focus on The Weekly Citizen Passion Africa The Sunday Express CEO Africa Business Africa Time Small and Medium Newsweek Enterprise The Economist Sports Monthly The East African CIO East Africa The Diplomat Drum The Insyder True Love HFM Kenyan Kitchen Management Prime Parenting Business Woman Source: Reelforge Media Monitoring Television There are 83 Television channels classified as “on-air” available in major towns across Kenya. The Kenya Broadcasting Corporation holds 25 digital channels classified as “noton-air.” Television programmes are aired in English or Kiswahili languages (Open Society 2011). Online Journalism The onset of online journalism has had a tremendous impact on the training and practice of journalism in Kenya. All media establishments have embraced online journalism tools that have greatly enhanced news production nationwide. Citizen Journalism’ has taken shape in Kenya, with ordinary citizens using various online tools, smart phones and a variety of other digital handheld devices to participate in newsgathering, production and dissemination. The convergence of online medium as a means of communication has 36

Status of Media in Kenya

2012

greatly benefited from the technology that has allowed individuals and organizations to communicate across the globe from the comfort of their desks and internet enabled computer and even smart phones. The convergence of the personal computer, the fiber optic cable and workflow software has brought about a wider participation on citizen journalism making it possible for any citizen to communicate and pass information and news related items to other people who are distance apart. Media houses have also adopted technology to further enhance journalism practice and their role to inform the Kenyan society. As a result, many media houses have established news websites to make news and information readily available. Table 10 illustrates in detail the media websites that aim to promote online journalism in Kenya. Table 10 : Online sites Site Owner

Target

Content

English speaking news audience English speaking news audience English speaking news audience

Breaking news, blogs, photos, videos Breaking news, blogs, photos, videos Breaking news, health issues

safaricom.co.ke Vodafone (MSP, ISP)

Company customers

orange.co.ke

Telkom (MSP, ISP)

Company customers

businessdailyafrica.co.ke

Nation Media Group

Company website, Safaricom customer information Company website, Orange customer information Business and corporate news

nation.co.ke

Nation Media Group

standardmedia. co.ke

The Standard Group

capitalfm.co.ke

Capital Group

English speaking news audience Source: Reelforge Media Monitoring

Visitors source Kenya, USA, UK, TZ, China Kenya, USA, Finland, Qatar, UK Kenya, USA, Uganda, S. Africa, India, Nigeria Kenya, TZ, UK, USA, India Kenya, Ethiopia, China, USA Kenya, Finland, USA, TZ, UK

Digital Migration Kenya is set to migrate to digital transmission on the 31st December, 2012, although this deadline has been challenged in court by consumer organizations. Digital migration is a challenge to media ownership and cross ownership a majority of media owners still transmit in analogue while those with digital transmission are forced to transmit in analogue as majority of its base audience are using analogue transmission equipments. Digital migration from analog systems to digital therefore, is set to dramatically change ownership of broadcast services since TV broadcast frequencies will be readily available to investors. Although CCKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision to stop allocating television frequencies in 2007 to prepare for digital migration negatively affected growth in the sector, the transition to digital from analog broadcasting will reduce the number of those in the waiting list because digital technology has higher spectral efficiency that will release from a current holder about eight frequencies per channel. CCK has been unable to issue new broadcast licenses due to scarcity of the resource.

Status of Media in Kenya

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Chapter 5 Issues In Content, Media Use And Perception

Findings Relating to Sources of News he study findings reveal that radio is the major source of news and information in Kenya, followed by the television and the newspapers. Specifically, 85% of respondents use radio as a major source of information and other current affairs, followed by television at 83% while the newspaper was at 68%. Internet and the mobile phone were at 42% and 41% respectively. A sizeable 40% of respondents mentioned the word of mouth as a source of information, while 0.5% of respondents mentioned sign language, posters, journalist, observation and fax as the other sources of news items and current affairs. Participants in the FGDs were all knowledgeable about the various media available to them through which they use to access information. Respondents were in consensus that that those who use internet as their major source of information access it from the offices or on their phones and use it both to read newspapers online since they are free as well as to visit the social networks; especially Facebook as sources of information. One respondent explained why the use of internet is reliable to him:

“I like the Internet because you can get the hot news at first hand; they give breaking news after every hour…” (Male, Kisumu) Findings reveal that a few respondents use the social media tools to access news sources such as facebook. One respondent observed the following: “I like Facebook, because I rarely watch TV and Facebook gives the opinion of people; it is like a discussion. When am there [online] it is interesting to see the opinion of others. Like if it is about The Hague everyone has views…” (Female, Nairobi) Other sources of information mentioned included the use of the Magazines, Social gatherings such as the Chief ’s barazas and gossip through neighborhood networks. Further findings reveal that a few respondents occasionally consult the gutter press as a source of news, especially because of their sensationalist nature of headlines. Chart 1 below illustrates in detail, the sources of news and information in the country. Chart 1: Media usually used to get news and information

The study also revealed that although there is an increased growth in the media sector in terms of an increased number of radio, television stations and newspapers; the diversity and plurality of the content is not necessarily true. Study findings reveal that the media content is skewed, with politics dominating most of the airtime and space, followed by adult foreign soap operas and programmes; a situation that has seen some segments of the audience, particularly the youth and an aging population; increasingly marginalized. Only 4% of respondents indicated that they read magazines alone as the source of news and information compared to 41% who read both the newspapers and magazines. However, 40

Status of Media in Kenya

2012

21% of respondents do not read newspapers and magazines. Chart 2 illustrates the findings on the readership of newspapers and magazines in the country. Chart 2: Readership of newspapers and magazines

The study further analyzed the most widely read monthly magazines in Kenya. Parents emerged the as the top monthly magazine at 50%, followed by True Love at 41%, Drum, Passion and Insyder at 33%, 20% and 18% respectively. Table 11 gives in detail the findings of the study on monthly magazines. Table 11: Monthly magazine usually read Monthly magazine usually read Parents Nairobi Law True Love Pregnant Drum New African Passion Mum and Dad

% 50 10 41 8 33 6 20 6 41

Insyder Kenyan Kitchen Management Baby Love African Business Baby and Mum The African Report African Woman Salon None

18 6 15 5 14 5 10 1 10 3

Of the 50% respondents who read Parents magazine, 58% are the female gender. Table 12 illustrates magazine readership based on both genders. About 0.5% of the respondents mentioned the following magazines: Home Export, Ministerial in-house newsletter, Tupike, Movie, Eve, Homes and Gardens, Family, Twende Magazine, Bible Spring, Upteens, Smart Life and the Buzz. Table 12: Readership of monthly magazines by gender Magazine Male % Parents Management True Love Nairobi Law Passion African Report

42 19 31 13 15 14

Female % 58 10 52 7 25 5

The study sought to find out the most widely read weekly magazine in the country. Newsweek was cited as the most widely read weekly magazine at 42% compared to the Economist at 29%. Chart 3, gives details on the study findings.

Status of Media in Kenya

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Chart 3: Weekly magazine read

The study further sought to find out the types of newspapers read in Kenya. Study findings reveal that the Daily Nation is most widely read at 70% followed by the Standard newspaper at 17%. The Business Daily and The Star came third at 4% followed by the Taifa Leo at 3%. The People Daily came in fourth at 1% readership. Mwanaspoti, Citizen Weekly and Kenya Times got a mention at 0.5%. Chart 4 details the study findings on types of newspapers read in Kenya. Chart 4: Types of Newspapers read

The Sunday Nation emerged as the most widely read weekly paper at 75% compared to the Sunday Standard at 43%. Chart 5 illustrates in detail the study findings Chart 5: Weekly newspaper usually read

The study also sought to find out how often newspapers are read in the country. A total of 42% of respondents read the newspapers every day. Chart 6: Newspaper readership

Status of Media in Kenya

2012

The study sought to find out respondents awareness on the categories of media. A sizeable 77% of respondents mentioned mainstream media compared to 39% who mentioned Alternative or the Gutter Press while 22% of respondents could not identify any category. Chart 7 shows the findings. Chart 7: Awareness of categories of Kenyan media

The study further sought to find out the aspects that define the quality of newspapers in Kenya. Respondents were asked to evaluate the quality of media content in the newspapers they usually read by indicating a particular attribute on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 was poor and 5 was very good. The evaluation was carried out in both the mainstream media and the alternative media. The ratings on each criterion (1-5) had a total score of 100%. The ratings of 1 and 2 were then combined under the ranking “poor” and those of 3 to 5 combined under the ranking “good.” Table 13 shows findings of the evaluation of both the mainstream and the alternative media.

Mainstream and Alternative Media Table 13: Evaluation of mainstream and alternative media Evaluation criteria Mainstream Media (%) Alternative Media (%) Objective reporting 90 47 Variety of stories/features 92 55 Accurate reporting 86 44 Balanced reporting 84 40 Coverage of national 81 32 development issues Diversity of sources 85 45 Credibility of sources 85 42 Depth of analyzing issues 83 46 Equal space for opposing 85 40 viewpoints Promoting public interest 84 52 Quality of Media Content The study sought to gauge media content and diversity in various media channels. Respondents were asked to evaluate to what extent (ranging from “too little” to “too much”) Kenyan newspapers provided variety of content to the readers in selected topics as indicated in the table below. Mean scores were then obtained for the resultant evaluations. However, this study reveals that the content lacks diversity. The study shows that the Print media largely publicizes “too much politics” providing little development news. Print is hugely providing “too much politics,” at 60% with little development news, while international Mexican soap operas and sports news dominating television media outlets. Table 14: Newspaper coverage of specific topics Content Variety of Content provided Too little Not much About right Much Mean Score % % Politics 4.3 1 21 Content Variety of Content provided Too little Not much About right Much Mean Score % % Business 3.0 5 22 Finance 2.7 9 14 Sports 3.2 5 25

Too Much % 60 Too Much % 6 4 13

Status of Media in Kenya

Crime/ Courts Parliament Science and Technology Agriculture Education Entertainment Fashion Culture Local news County news Regional news African news International news Advertising Health Real Estate

2012

2.6

3.0 2.2

11 24

19 7

15 2

2.3 2.5 3.3

22 14 7

9 11 26

2 3 17

2.8 2.3 3.2 3.0

14 29 5 6

15 9 25 21

10 3 12 7

2.8

2.6

2.7

3.6 2.4 2.3

11 11 11

12 12 12

4 4 4

Study findings reveal an overall satisfaction index at 68% and a 60% satisfaction rate on the improvement on media content. Chart 8 indicates an overall satisfaction rating on print media. Chart 8: Overall satisfaction rating

The study sought to find out whether respondents have used any media. Of those who responded, 93% indicated using the radio compared to 7% who do not use it. Study findings revealed that 27% of the respondents listen to Citizen radio, followed by Easy FM at 24%. Milele FM recorded a 22% while Radio Maisha 18% and 17% for Capital FM. 30 other radio stations were also mentioned having listened to at 0.5%. Table 15 shows the study findings in detail. Among the 1, 548 respondents interviewed if they ever listened to the radio, the following findings were revealed: Radio stations with at least 1% mentions Table 15: Radio stations usually listened to. RADIO STATION USUALLY % RADIO STATION USUALLY LISTENED TO LISTENED TO Radio Citizen 33 Ramogi Classic 31 Kameme Easy FM 11 Mbaitu Inooro 7 Jambo KBC National Service 6 Musyi KBC English Service 5 QFM Radio Maisha 5 Capital Ghetto FM 4 Milele Kiss 100 4 One FM Hope FM 2

% 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Over 40 radio stations were mention by 0.5% respondents having been listened to. Table 16 lists the radio stations that were mentioned by the 0.5% respondents in the study. Table 16: Radio stations listened to (b) RADIO STATION USUALLY LISTENED TO 103.5 Amani Angua Bahari Baraka BBC Biblia Husema Chamgei Coro Egesa

Family Homeboyz Hot 96 Imani IQRA Kass Kaya Kaya Kajiado Kisima Mambo

Metro Mulembe Nosimu Pamoja Pwani Radio 316 Radio 360 Rahma Salaam Sauti ya Mwananchi

Shine Syokimau Truth Umoja Waumini West FM Wimwaro XFM

Status of Media in Kenya

2012

Q17. Other radio stations listened to apart from usual station (1,529) Table 17 gives a comprehensive list of all the radio stations mentioned by respondents as having been listened to. Table 17: Other radio stations listened to RADIO STATION % RADIO STATION LISTENED TO LISTENED TO Radio Citizen 27 Coro Easy FM 24 Pamoja Milele 22 Hope FM Radio Maisha 18 Biblia Husema Capital 17 Mulembe KBC National Service 14 Mbaitu KBC English Service 9 Musyi Kiss 100 9 One FM Hot 96 9 BBC Homeboyz 8 Chamgei XFM 8 Egesa Classic 7 Kass Ghetto FM 7 Pwani Relax 5 Sauti ya Mwananchi RADIO STATION LISTENED TO Kameme Inooro Ramogi Jambo QFM

% 4 3 3 3 3

RADIO STATION LISTENED TO Truth West FM Venus Muga

% 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 % 1 1 1 1

Study findings reveal that news on radio, television and also in print is presented in English and Kiswahili languages although vernacular languages (ethnically based) are widely used in vernacular-based radio stations. However, Sheng language (a dialect -mixture of English and Kiswahili words) is widely used in community radio stations based in the Eastlands part of Nairobi such as Koch FM and Ghetto Radio FM. Study findings reveal that Sheng is widely discouraged in use by educationists who argue that is an informal language that compromises the use of internationally recognized standard English. The situation was further affirmed in the study findings where the use of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Shengâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in mainstream media was received with mixed feelings although other respondents were of the opinion that Sheng is an emergent translation of a new culture. With regard to sheng as an emergence of 49

a new culture, one respondent was of this opinion: “… Where did Swahili come from? It is a mix of Arab and Bantu and that is the language you want my child now to adhere to. If they had said no to Swahili development then, would we be using it today? I don’t think so… I am certain that Sheng will one day emerge as a new language for communication just like Swahili has been an official language for Kenyans” ( Male Respondent in Kisumu) “On TV and radio, one reason that will make me not watch some programmes or listen to certain radio stations is the use of Sheng language. For example K24 television airs some programmes that use the slang language. Maybe the message is very relevant, but they use some joking slang language which dilutes the meaning of the message. You end up not taking the message seriously.” (Respondent in Nairobi) “Sheng slang is a form of communication code among the youth who use it as a universal language.” (Male Respondent in Eldoret) Media Performance Study findings reveal that most journalists are aware of the Code of Ethics for the Practice of Journalism in Kenya as provided for by the Second Schedule of the Media Act 2007. However, the study reveals that most journalists are unable to translate the awareness in their daily journalistic practice limiting to professionally practice their profession. Media Professionalism and Training The study show that the training opportunities for journalists have improved over the years. The study further indicates that various higher learning institutions such as the Universities and middle level colleges offer various trainings to the award of Philosophy of Doctorate (PhD), Post-Graduate, Degree, Diploma and Certificate awards on courses offered. However, the study shows that lack of standardized training and examining of existing training programmes compromises the quality on journalism and media training in the country. The situation is further worsened by ‘comedians’ and ‘celebrities’ who take up journalism jobs without journalism or related training, thus diluting the integrity of the profession and denying trained journalists career opportunities. The study further reveal that the mushrooming of the ‘Gutter Press’ has compromised the quality of journalism and media products disseminated to the audience making the credibility of journalism training in Kenya at stake.

Status of Media in Kenya

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Chapter 6 Training, Professionalism And Capacity Issues

he study sought to find out respondentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; opinion on training and professionalism among key players in the media sector such as the media practitioners and the government stakeholders. The study findings reveal a tremendous improvement in training and professionalism. The respondents attributed this to an increased growth witnessed in the area of training as a result of higher learning institutions such as the Universities and middle -level colleges offering various courses on journalism and mass communication in the country unlike ten years ago. Respondents were of the opinion that offering different levels of training starting at the certificate courses to the highest award on the Philosophy of Doctorate in Journalism and Media related courses has opened up opportunities for younger aspiring professionals to join the profession. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Over the years many certified colleges have opened up and have improved journalism training in the country. In the early days there were few places where aspiring journalists could be trained. Now they are spoilt for choice. Many public and private universities have communication and journalism departments.â&#x20AC;? (Media practitioner/Columnist)

Another respondent observed the following: “It is better now than it used to be. There are universities and colleges offering journalism courses and the people now have better chances of getting professional training before joining the media industry.” (Media practitioner/Managing Editor) Study findings reveal that most middle level colleges that offer training in journalism in Kenya lack standardized training and standardized curriculum. The study further reveals lack of an examining body that can regularize the quality of training, especially at the middle level colleges that train at the Certificate and Diploma levels. As a result of lack of proper regulation and standards, many middle-level colleges continue to mushroom all over the urban centres without maintaining and adhering to the highest quality on Journalism training. One respondent observed the following: “There is need to look at what all these school and colleges are teaching not only to be sure that the students are getting the right skills but also that these skills are relevant to the industry.” (Media Practitioner / Publisher) “The challenge is the … mushrooming colleges in that I am not certain we have a standard authority which vets these courses and sanctions the kind of courses that they offer - and the certificates.” (Media practitioner). Some respondents voiced concerns over lack of proper training equipment, leading to disadvantage among students trained in Journalism as they are not equipped with basic skills necessary to meet the demands of the profession once in the job market. The study findings indicate that media owners should ensure that journalists are trained and meet journalism professionalism while employed. The respondents were of the opinion that it is the responsibility of media owners to ensure their employees meet the minimum standards of journalism training to better understand, meet the needs and deliver quality products to the consumer. “Media owners have a great responsibility to ensure that the people working for them are well trained not just to ensure that they are competitive but also that the service they provide meets industry standards and public expectations.” (Media practitioner/Columnist) The study findings reveal that media owners have failed by recruiting stand-up comedians and untrained celebrities to their stations based on their popularity ratings as opposed to their professionalism. One respondent expressed the following: “The reason we have comedians on the airwaves for me is informed by the fact that when one business tried it their ratings improved; the listenership went up, the others noticed it. So if that comedian works for one of the stations why not? And so that has become a feature of especially radio.” (Media

practitioner/Publisher) 52

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ETHICS IN THE MEDIA The study sought to find out the ethical practice in the media sector. Respondents were asked to comment on issues of ethics and ethical practice in the media. The study revealed that most journalists carried out their duties professionally unlike a few who do not stick to Journalism ethics. This was attributed to the high levels of training available in the country. However, study findings indicate a few respondents were quick to note that not all journalists carry out their day-to-day duties in a professional manner. One respondent noted the following: “In terms of carrying out their duties, they are very professional. They are better trained, have better equipment and produce more professional services. The ethics is another issue altogether.” (Media practitioner/Managing Editor)

Study shows that journalists are a reflection of the society in which they live in. Most respondents in the study were of the opinion that if the society has a low ethical standard/threshold, the same would be reflected in the media. Respondents composed of the media stakeholders felt that the society is equally responsible in upholding ethics in the media. Two respondents espoused as below: “Society has a big influence on the ethical standards of any profession. So the journalists cannot be more ethical than the society in which they live or work.” (Media practitioner/Publisher) “You are going to have in media, among the news people . . . the microcosm of Kenya. Therefore you will have people who want to bend the rules, will break the rules…”(Media practitioner/Managing Editor)

The study findings reveal that the key responsibility in maintaining ethics in the industry was placed squarely on the Media Council of Kenya. Respondents in the study argued that it is the core mandate of the MCK to uphold and enforce the ethical practice of journalism in Kenya. One respondent explained the following: “…we have in place the Media Council, whose main task is to enforce the ethics of the profession of journalism. … Second, the media houses themselves should be proud to promote the ethics of journalism as businesses, they should be first and foremost concerned with ethical business standards that will impact the calibre of journalistic ethics that they are pursuing…” (Media Practitioner / publisher).

However, respondents in the study composed of media practitioners were of the opinion that the media owners as well as the general public have a responsibility of ensuring media ethics are upheld. “The journalists are part of the society, the more ethical the society, the more ethical the journalists.” (Media Practitioner/Columnist).

“It should be huge concern that we have people getting into the profession before they are formally trained. The thing is, there is huge responsibility that comes with journalism, with you being on air and speaking to millions of listeners, if you do not have an ethical background there is a disadvantage there.” (Media Practitioner/publisher) ALTERNATIVE MEDIA The study findings indicated that alternative media lack the practice of ethics in their publishing of sensational information grounded in limited research and to a large extent focused on character assassination. The findings further show that the alternative media were pointed fingers at indulging in blackmail and extortion of prominent politicians and businesspeople. Three respondents observe that: “Some people in the Gutter Press have no ethical standards at all. Some are extortionists. They will dig up muck and threaten to publish it unless they are paid.”(Media practitioner/Managing Editor) “Some operators in the Gutter Press are completely unethical and thrive on character assassination and sensationalism.”(Media practitioner /Columnist) “Mainstream media will be careful, investigate, verify, investigate again, and, if in doubt, don’t carry it, put aside, and wait until you have the information and run. The alternative media you have seen or you have been to, ‘hiyo stori ni nzuri’( that is a good story), okay, let’s go so you will end up with the story, aah that has not been seen vetted and gone through that process “Media Practitioner / Publisher. However, study findings also reveal that alternative media actively cover regional news but are often not given a by line in the mainstream newspaper. Two respondents noted the following: “There is quite a bit of misunderstanding over the issue. Of course the Mainstream Media have their issues with Alternative Media and some Alternative Media operators have not helped matters either. Some have been sensational and gone for character assassination stories” (Media practitioner). “I will tell you this. I publish a monthly magazine … a regional publication covering issues … that the big newspapers have no time for. Those small issues need to be brought into the public eye and the big ones won’t do that” (Media practitioner/Publisher).

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Chapter 7 General Perceptions on the Media

MOST RELIABLE MEDIA he study sought to find out the most reliable form of media outlet in Kenya. Study findings reveal that there was no one particular media that was most reliable as each media is assumed to be reliable depending on other factors such as the user’s circumstances, the use of media in itself and how easily the media is available to the user. The FGDs elicited various interpretations as different respondents came up with various interpretations on media reliability. Some of the FGDs participants viewed media reliability to mean believability while majority of the participants interpreted reliability in terms of availability. However, the participants in the FGDs were in consensus by preferring a combination of different forms of media for diverse reasons. One respondent espoused as below: “I think reliability depends on many things; there are times I think the newspapers are reliable when am not able to get at home by 7 or 9 to watch the news on TV... in the villages we don’t have electricity, so we rely on the radio to get information, so reliability depends on the location, status and availability” - Nairobi Respondent

Findings reveal that the most reliable form of media according to the respondents is dependent on economic circumstances, the use to which it is being put, as well as how easily available it is. FGDs participants were in agreement that radio is the most reliable among the married women, particularly stay-at-home mothers, and among farm and office workers, or those whose nature of work demands frequent movements. This is as a result of radio’s portability and convenience and relativef affordability. Six respondents observed why the use of radio is convenient to them: “I suppose radio because it is real-time… I am on the radio most of the time, therefore I listen to radio all the time on my phone with my headphones” – Nairobi Respondent “I prefer radio because it is available even in the local community to me I can afford it and believe what it reports” Mombasa Male. “Since I am in the field, I have to walk all the time. So I like to listen to radio because I can get constant update even security information like if something is happening in a region, they will say don’t go to this and that place because there is a riot, so I will avoid that area” – Kisumu Male “I prefer Radio - you can’t carry a TV to the field with you”- Kisumu Male “I would say radio because, it is cheap, like we mothers can move with it when doing the chores”. – Eldoret Female “I like the radio because I can listen to it while I work and go about my business” – Kisumu Female “I prefer the radio because most of the time I am in the house I can be doing my work and at the same time listening to the radio…” (Female Respondent in Eldoret) To avoid relying on the word of mouth, study findings reveal that most respondents consult the media to keep updated, while cross checking various sources of information to verify the truth. Other respondents indicated that they use their consciousness to choose what news item to believe in and what not. One respondent observed the following: “I use my consciousness…” (Nairobi Respondent) Study findings also revealed that media channel with visual aides to the information were viewed as to be more believable since the visual images were taken to be supporting material for the news item. As a result, television is most widely preferred media channel in terms of believability by majority of the respondents regardless of gender, region, age or occupation, since it offers audio visual simulation through both the presenters’ perspective, as well as the images supporting the story. Television was mentioned as a more credible form of media channel. Two respondents observed the following: 56

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“I think I will take TV. On TV there is that connection as you can see and witness what is being told is true…” Nairobi Respondent “…because when you get the information is always in whole and the information given is actual and you have the images to support it” - Mombasa Lady Study findings show that younger generation mentioned the mobile phone as the most versatile tool for accessing information of any kind. Cited purposes for mobile telephony include: listening to the radio, accessing the internet, watching television, as well as accessing the social networks for constant updates from friends. Respondents further cited receiving grapevine information or customization to meet an individual’s media for instance downloadable audio and audio files for music listening and viewing using the mobile phone. Mobile phone also offers privacy. One respondent observed the following with regard to use of mobile phones: “When you have a phone, you can access all those things – you can tweet, radio, watch TV news” – Nairobi respondent Newspapers on the other hand were mentioned by the respondents in formal employment as the preferred form of media, because of accessibility from their office copies, but more so because of the depth of information. Least Reliable The study sought to find out the least reliable form of media channel. In all regions where the study was conducted, findings show word of mouth as the least reliable form of receiving information since the information given is subject to the giver’s opinion and interpretation. Therefore one is likely to get news that is distorted and not easily verifiable worsened by the biases of the bearer of the news. Participants in the FGDs in all the regions were in consensus that the ‘Word of Mouth’ is least reliable. One respondent explains why this is so: “I would say friends. Because they are human beings sometimes the information gets distorted and adds more things to it. If you tell the first person something, it is the correct information but when it gets to the 4th or 5th person is never the correct information that was told because it keeps on changing from one person to the other.” (Male Respondent, Mombasa) The Gutter Press was considered as the worst form of media in relation to reliability. This view was especially prevalent among the male respondents. Regarding the Gutter Press, one respondent noted the following:

“I mean, take the case of the gutter press, or even the person who is conned by the classifieds, I mean, it is their issue; I choose what to believe and what not to believe in. I do not take any information in the Gutter Press seriously... “ (Kisumu Male) Study also reveals that information on the internet may not be reliable all the time. FGD participants were in consensus that anyone can post any information that may not be necessarily true hence the need to verifying the truth first. Further findings reveal that majority of respondents argue that social networking sites, can be used to spread rumors that are not true and even when accompanied by images; these can be distorted to reflect the opinion of the person posting the information. One respondent noted the following: “I would say internet, because there are distortion of information because they put things which are not true and are just rumors.” (Nairobi Respondent) Gutter Press on the other hand was considered the worst form of media in terms of reliability. Findings from various respondents and FGDs indicate that gutter publications main aim is to make money than inform the audience. This, the participants argue is the motive behind untrue sensationalist news stories with loud captions a view that was shared by a majority of male respondents and male FGD participants. Four respondents expressed the following sentiments with regard to gutter press publications: “Gutter press really puts me off. The other day they wrote that there was an MP who was seen with someone else’s wife, yet they don’t tell us who that MP is. So why give us such information when you can’t give the whole story which is a crime. It is also an insult to my intelligence.” ( Kisumu Male) “When you walk in the morning in town, you find a front page spread – popular MP found in a cheap lodging. What do you do, you want to find out who this is. Then it is a weekly newspaper – then they say, to be continued next week.” (Mombasa Male) “I don’t trust these magazines because most of the content is vague. You won’t find the real answers.” (Nairobi Respondent) “….. Gutter press like talking about sexual immorality, incorrect information, news which blow things out of proportion. They are not credible and they make up stories, Example of a typical headline - MP was seen talking to someone on Koinange Street - Since Koinange is associated with prostitution, they assume any one who is there is a prostitute. (Nairobi Respondent )

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GENERAL MEDIA PERCEPTIONS MEDIA LIKES The study findings reveal that media liking in Kenya is based on information, education and liberalism as the audience get to discover events unknown to them that one would generally not know about and have the choice to choose from which media to receive this information. One respondent observed the following: The liberalization of the media was very good. ‘Kitambo’(long time) when FM stations were introduced, it was great to listen to the stations in the morning, for example, Caroline Mutoko could ask if there is no good treatment at Kenyatta National Hospital, let us find out why. And you would hear maybe the Director of Medical Services on the line, getting thrashed for his juniors who are not doing their work…Can you imagine the kind of calls that will rain down on the General Hospitals after such a call? That was community service being delivered… right now, they have lost the directions. – Kisumu Male The study reveals that the media sharpens the audience at being best in what they do by nurturing talents and ideas. With media’s diverse features on achievers, the audiences are inspired to engage in activities that will better their future lives. One respondent expressed the following sentiments: “I like it when they cover profiles of achievers. Their coverage and features of such people who have made it in life challenge me to work harder to make it as well” – Nairobi Respondent Generally, the respondents also mentioned that they like the diversity and variety of coverage since with so many types of media, stations and media sources to choose from, they are able to cover all segments of society adequately; especially in terms of areas of interest, some local and international content, language use which is both in the national languages as well as local languages and diverse topics of coverage. “I like that sometimes they try to bring programmes that people from the rural areas can understand not only those English programmes and also the way they broadcast their news in Kiswahili” – Eldoret Lady “… for me I think there is diversity in reporting as they bring international, regional and get to know about other countries and also the movers and shakers” – Kisumu Male “Their programmes especially the local ones like Papa Shirandula and Inspekta Mwala” – Kisumu Lady Further findings reveal that media liking is based on covering developmental issues, deeper analysis from various media channels and frequent up to date news on various 59

issues affecting the world and the Kenyan society. One participant observed the following: I would say for example if there is an incident that has occurred somewhere very far, all Kenyans cannot go there to witness. We therefore rely on the media for information through their reporting. (Mombasa Male) Findings also show that the media are somewhat liked for promoting transparency in our Kenyan society. Respondents in the study were of the opinion that due to media freedom currently obtaining in Kenya, the media have played a big role in exposing the rot in society, especially where the politicians are concerned. One participant in the FGD noted the following: “… With the freedom of expression, I think the way the information given is not edited, it is the truth” - Eldoret Male Further study findings reveal that respondents were happy and looked forward to watching investigative journalistic news pieces. Most widely quoted investigative piece was KTN’s Jicho Pevu that has exposed corrupted and wrong doings amongst businessmen and politicians in the country bringing about accountability among key decision makers in the country and wise use of national resources that bring about positive development in the country. One respondent observed the following: “I like watching KTN because they have informative programmes including investigative news items and also some segments on talk shows about business so that many are able to know what steps to continue or improve one’s business” ( Respondent in Nairobi) Findings further reveal that the media diversity through the variety of news and events coverage have contributed to media liking in Kenya where English, Kiswahili and vernacular languages have been used to disseminate information regarding diverse topics of interests and the power to choose the media for use. Respondents in the study were of the opinion that the use of local languages will lead to an appreciation of the diversity of languages and cultures found in Kenya. Two respondents noted the following: “…when I visit my mother, my grandmother likes KASS FM because sometime we have to switch off from the TV so that we can all listen to KASS FM with her. This togetherness in listening one radio station in our vernacular always helps me to learn new meanings and terminologies in my language as my grandmother helps me in interpreting various discussions for a deeper understanding of the language” ( Female Respondent in Eldoret) “I really like listening to Ramogi FM, mostly it informs us more through our local language and I also I like the music the station plays.” (Male Respondent in Kisumu)

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However, even though the study respondents were very happy with the use of local languages in promoting Kenyan cultures, the study findings reveal that vernacular media should be used in caution as it can cause political strife and fanning of tribalism if misused. This is especially true after the 2007/2008 political violence where Kenyans need to overcome tribalism and live as one people of Kenya. Two respondents observed this: “… like what happened during the 2007/2008 clashes, it was so much motivated by the vernacular stations where wrong interpretation can be made even with innocent use of certain words and cause divisions and misunderstandings amongst people. Use of vernacular language ain’t bad but to some extent it can divide Kenyans along tribal lines.” ( Female Respondent in Eldoret) “I think that the use of vernacular languages has two extreme sides, the good side is that it can reach out to anyone in the rural and remote areas and serves people in their own language. For example, I have listened to some of these programmes in Inooro FM about family and about farming which I find very educative and informative. On the other hand, vernacular language can be used as a wrong tool in spreading tribalism by making others feel better than others or more superior than others.” (Female Respondent in Mombasa) MEDIA DISLIKES Study findings reveal that the use of untrained media personalities drawn from a group of ‘comedians’ and ‘celebrities’ are taken as a dislike among respondents in the study. The FGD respondents were in consensus that ‘comedians and celebrities’ have taken up Journalism profession without any form of formal mass communications expertise hence sidelining the trained journalists while negatively influencing the youth as a result of failing to meet the ethical standards on Journalism professionalism. Eight respondents noted the following: “We have faculties in our education system. Jalang’o is a presenter; he is not a trained journalist. Churchill is a presenter, he is not a trained journalist; he has not gone through any mass communication training.” - Kisumu Male “Just because they are celebrities, or a comedian at that, he is brought into the media.” - Nairobi Respondent “Journalism should be practiced by professionals, just like medicine, or legal practitioners do; whereby, they can also be arrested for misconduct. We don’t refuse the celebrities, they should however be trained so that they get to the level of professionalism.” - Eldoret Male “…what I dislike in the media is the current crop of media personalities; take Ciku Muiruri, Maina Kageni, and Esther Arunga - people whose personal lives hardly qualifies them to offer advice on relationships.” - Nairobi Respondent 61

“I would like to use the example of Bonoko; they are not learned and not professional... if he has a talent it would be ok” (Nairobi Respondent) “I think when the radio personality they are people who have a nice voice and are touchy, most of them… did not go through the communication training they don’t have backgrounds, they don’t know anything about reporting, they are not professional” - (Female Respondent in Eldoret ) “I would like to compare radio presenters and the TV. I think the ones on the radios are possessed because whatever they talk about can’t even be repeated to another person. So if someone is professional, they should watch what kind of things and information they give people where it would be good and important to their lives or it is just for nothing”- (Female Respondent in Mombasa) Caroline used to be so good in covering specialized topics, then Mong’are came in and they changed to discussing their own issues and then shifted to discussing others. Now Jalang’o is there, they just don’t do anything worthy any more. – Nairobi Respondent Majority of respondents in the study cited dislike in the media on coverage of explicit sexual content especially in broadcasting stations. Radio stations were cited as the most readily available outlet with a trend of people ‘airing their dirty linen in public’ in the name of entertainment not minding younger listeners. FGDs in all regions expressed the disappointment especially when such uncomfortable topics are openly discussed on radio stations. The caption below illustrated by one of the respondents in the study best describes the disgust and disappointment with which other participants in various FGDs hold regarding uncontrolled discussions on media stations: “Some of the topics on discussions in some of our radio stations are just not palatable. Imagine a woman caller who says her husband cannot be satisfied sexually as he comes home at tea time, lunch time and evenings for sex adventures – this is aired live on radio. Then it’s left to the listeners to air their views. So another woman calls in to say, ‘kama hautaki huyu wako, tupatie, juu wetu hafanyi kitu’ [translated to mean: - if you do not want your man, let’s have him as our men at home can’t perform sexually] All this is on radio!!!” ( Male Respondent in Kisumu) The respondends were of the view that scenario was the consequence of lack of media regulation on airing adult content at appropriate hours when the young children are asleep to avoid exposure to overtly sexual content. Five respondents expressed their opinions as stated below: “… it is very uncomfortable when seated next to an old man; old enough to be your dad in a Matatu and then they are discussing things that you can’t even imagine… and in the morning there is always traffic so you just have to sit there and can’t even look up…” - Eldoret Lady 62

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“…same to the soaps, the whole family is there watching then there comes an uncomfortable scene…” - Mombasa Lady “Like on Sunday, I was watching this programme – Shuga. This guy came on and said that sex is the only language that people will understand… it is a programme I liked; but out of that statement, I came to dislike that programme” - Kisumu Male “It’s a pity that they haven’t figured out yet the way to pass on this kind of information, but also the appropriate times to pass on this kind of information”- Nairobi Respondent “I like that advert of Mpango wa Kando – the one of Jimmy Gathu – that man, they criticize the issue of promiscuity but using such mature language. Such that I do not feel embarrassed to watch it even with my mother” - Eldoret Male

Further study findings reveal respondents dislike on the media’s negative impact on the youth morals as a result of exposure to sexual content early in life for lack of control on airing adult content. One respondent expressed the following: “…right now the children and younger adults act in ways that makes you wonder where they picked the traits from…”(Female Respondent in Eldoret) Moreover, the study finds that the media was negatively influencing the society, particularly the youth, in adopting behaviour relating to entertainment which is largely sexually oriented. The findings of the study also show a dislike in print media as it offers a limited choice as there are only two main stream newspapers dailies (The Standard , which is 112 years, and the Nation which is 52 years) from which Kenyans choose what to read. Respondents in the study however, were of the opinion that there is need to invest on more print media both in the mainstream languages as well as the local county publications. GENERAL CONTENT Study findings reveal that media content is diverse in various media channels in the country. The majority of the study respondents were of the opinion that media content is diverse as a result of many operating radio and television stations to choose from. Such diversity ensures that any type of audience has a radio to listen to or a television channel to watch. One respondent alluded to this fact as follows: “I like the fact that some radio stations have open segments for people to discuss political issues in the country and have a say in what is going on and their opinion heard.” ( Female Respondent in Eldoret) However, findings reveal that media content is repetitive in all most all broadcasting 63

stations. Respondents of the study were in consensus that all media houses cover similar topics although this slightly differs with regard to television programming. This, the respondents argue, limits the public’s choice in selecting what to view or listen to. The findings of the study also reveal that opinions of media owners and their political alignment affect how certain news items relating to the various functions of government are covered. Respondents were of the opinion that the weight and magnitude given to any news item relating to politics is reflective of the media owners’ political alignment making the news coverage less impartial hence compromising basic journalistic fundamentals under which news should be covered such as accuracy, truth, impartiality and transparency among others. One respondent observed the following: “… media coverage to some extent vary according to the owner of the station, I find Citizen TV much on the government side and would not say something negative about the government, but I tend to think that NTV and KTN would cover any event whether negative or positive about the government. They will give the information.” (Respondent in Nairobi) Without such basic fundamentals on journalism, the society is subject to propaganda leading to a poor make of decisions affecting the lives of many responsible Kenyans bringing less development in the country. The findings of the study also indicate that media covers too much politics at the expense of ignoring other important aspects and perspectives of society. Study respondents were of the opinion that politicians in turn have used the media as a channel to further their agenda overtaking the media’s watchdog and agenda setting roles. Eight respondents expressed their opinion with regard to politic coverage in the media as follows: “The way they concentrate on politics…everywhere you turn in the news most of the coverage is just politics.” (Mombasa) “Most of the media stations have turned to be political rallies, as if they are campaigning on behalf of the politicians.” (Male Respondent in Mombasa) “They can take like 20mins of the news time just to tell us about the politics… they should take time and check on what is right or wrong.” (Male Respondent in Kisumu) “at times they cover what they think is best for them like they keep on dwelling on politics which is not helpful to us not so much, sometime there are important things going on like, inflation the down drain of the economy then you will find they are concentrating so much on the Hague people… they are just wasting time on such matters” (Female Respondent in Kisumu) “I think they should stop making politicians as heroes, because they keep on giving them power and Kenya’s are disappointed.” (Male Respondent in Mombasa)

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“the media should be asking itself questions what is the need of showing Sonko hitting the walls, what does that teach a young person, what message is it relaying of Kenya out there. A foreigner watches and wonders what kind of minister we have one is punching the walls and the other is heading to Loliondo, it all comes to content” - (Female Respondent in Eldoret ) A further general study finding indicate that the media have turned to churning out mostly negative and sensationalist stories as opposed to highlighting both the good and the bad of the society. Two respondents noted the following: “I would say the media only like to report the bad things and don’t report on good things so I don’t know why they do that” (Female Respondent in Eldoret). “About this case of men being beaten by their wives, they have highlighted on it so much till men are revenging on that which is bringing problems to the society” (Female Respondent in Mombasa). The study shows that the media industry is a business and money-oriented industry. The findings further reveal frequent advertising interruptions through aired programmes forms a major base of income among media industries limiting space for excellent reporting, analyses and airing of informative and educative features. However, findings suggest that although media owners are making huge profits, they should also recognize the great role that media industry plays in influencing the current generations and shaping the future of the country. CONTENT LIKES Study findings reveal local content as the most enjoyed entertainment formats on both radio and television programming. Study findings further reveal that local audience were aware that local programming was a result of government’s move on legislation to air 30% of local programmes. Findings further reveals that a majority of respondents interviewed strongly enjoy locally produced programs. Four respondents expressed their sentiments on the local production as follows: “I like programmes like Mother-In-Law and Machachari they talk about life and what is going on in real life and at the end try to show a solution on way to take when you are faced with such a problem.” (Female Respondent in Kisumu) “Mostly the one for Inspekta Mwala will show you what to do when faced with a problem and the rights a person has, when they go to report to the police and they are able to be helped.” (Male Respondent in Mombasa) “…their programmes especially the local ones like Papa Shirandula and Inspekta Mwala” (Respondent in Nairobi) I would rather now we focus on our local programmes that are in line with our culture. The young 65

generation cannot differentiate our cultures anymore and this should not be the case.” ( Female Respondent in Eldoret ) Study findings also indicate an expression of appreciation among respondents interviewed to the Nation Media Group for introducing The County Edition on primetime TV News as it gives Kenyans and non-Kenyans a better understanding of various Counties hence people get informed on areas to seek investment. CONTENT DISLIKES Findings reveal a dislike in the media in airing international content such as Philippine and Mexican soaps and Nigerian movies at the expense of locally produced programmes and media content. The respondents were in consensus on the need to produce and promote airing of local that aim to educate and inform to better lives than airing international programmes such as Nigerian movies and the Mexican soap operas which respondents deemed culturally irrelevant such as the witchcraft practice among the Nigerians that has frequently been aired on Nigerian movies. Three respondents gave the following observations and suggestions: “You will find that on Citizen TV, from Monday to Friday, 9am to 12am and at the afternoons, afro cinemas(Nigerian movies) is all that is aired… then after the news at 4p.m, 7pm and at 9 pm it is time for soap operas … Citizen TV should give us something different apart from the Nigerian movies and the soap operas. It is too much…” ( Respondent in Nairobi) “We should be Africans and put Kenyan programmes and its local content instead of airing foreign programs. I think if the media would allow our local programmes to be aired then it would be good as they would grow with time and if they are given that platform to grow, we should expect great achievement in Kenya’s media industry.” (Female Respondent in Eldoret ) “The Media could focus on our own local productions which will definitely give us better content and at the same time promote our own culture and social beliefs.” (Male Respondent in Kisumu) Study findings indicate that Kenyan media need to improve media coverage on Kenyan and African sports especially football as there is an increasing bias towards international matches outside Africa. One respondent expressed the following sentiments regarding football matches in Kenya: “… in football, the media has largely influenced Kenyans to engage in deeper discussions on international matches especially on Manchester and Arsenal football clubs instead of our local football matches such as the Gor Mahia and AFC and how best to promote local football clubs.” (Respondent in Nairobi) Further findings also reveal a poor emphasis on child development programmes with a 66

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clear lack of child- oriented content in Kenya. Three respondents observed the following in regard to lack of child oriented content in media channels: “Do you know that today we do not have any educational programmes for our children? Like what we used to have at our old days! We don’t have educational, motivational, sensitization programmes targeting our children, what is there is too little.” (Male Respondent in Kisumu) “…like a few years ago, on Saturdays; TV stations would bring programmes for children and ask questions aimed at educating and informing them but lately, it is like there is nothing… We are just feeding our children and young people with content based on war and cheating. Our morning shows are just unbelievable” (Female Respondent in Eldoret ) “… sometimes I watch the TV with my children, but there are some programmes you cannot be able to watch with them because of the nature of the content that is being shown” –( Female Respondent in Eldoret) Most study respondents with families expressed concern over the available adult content on most media outlets causing damage on child’s development. Children are often too much exposed to adult content which may negatively influence their attitudes at a younger age causing a moral decay in the coming future of adult generation. Five respondents expressed their sentiments as follows: “… don’t they get tired of the topic of cheating, cheating and more cheating… they have made marriage to be the worst prison you can ever be in… I am now even afraid of getting married” (Male Respondent in Mombasa) “It is true, they have made our children’s morals go down. Because the young start to admire these things and say if they become older they would do this or that.” - (Respondent in Nairobi) “For some time I stopped completely to listen to the radio because the content [sex] for me is becoming too much… the other day on Classic they were discussing about virginity and thank God that I did not listen someone told me it was so terrible content and the picture they were painting was so bad.” ( Female Respondent in Eldoret) The respondents felt that the media was not using their powerful influence on society well, for not using it for the good of the people. “The worst thing is that they have the power and masses and many people want to tune in and listen to them so the influence they have is very great. Instead of using it to better our country they are doing the opposite I really don’t like it…” (Male Respondent in Eldoret) “You find that most of the time they are not good role models, you will find that some of them 67

are not straight in the things they are saying like some of the young people rely on the media for information where they end up copying them which is not a good moral thing to any young person.” (Respondent in Nairobi) MEDIA PLAYERS The study sought views of respondents on media anchors and presenters in the media sector. The findings reveal that media anchors and presenters are highly regarded as role models in the Kenyan society hence their private lives should reflect their public personas as they are looked upon by the media consumers especially the younger upcoming generations. However, further findings in the study suggest a great need for media anchors and presenters to regulate their public conduct to ensure that there is a balance in sensitivity to local cultural and societal expectations as well as exposure to Western behaviour patterns GENERAL MEDIA USAGE PATTERNS The study also sought to check as to whether the respondents switch from their favourite to their less favourite media channels and the reason for switching. The study findings reveal that majority of respondents switch stations, especially during news on radio and television, to compare the coverage of the news stories. One respondent explained as follows: “…the reason I switch from one station to the other is because I always want to confirm or compare the news that I hear or read. This helps me to truly affirm myself whether what I read or hear is true or false.” (Male Respondent in Kisumu) The study further reveals that switching will be made when the respondent has a favourite programme on a different media channel. However, findings also indicate that respondents may not switch to another station once they have started watching a news item that interests them as they may lose the plot of the news story. Findings of the study also show that travel related plans may force media users to switch from one station to another even when they do not necessarily want. Due to inaccessibility of favourite channels, findings indicate that respondents end up listening or watching the media channel that is available but not necessarily their first choice. Three respondents explained as stated below: “…when I travel, I am forced to switch to other channels like this one time I was travelling to Kisumu and also in some places in Ukambani where there is no signal on the station I want to listen. At times you just switch off the radio and when you reach Naivasha; signals start picking and you start all over again in search of your favourite station.” (Respondent in Nairobi) “…to me I don’t like switching to another station but there are other places when you travel and try to tune to your favourite station and you cannot since you can’t access the frequency and at that time you are forced to switch to another station.” (Male Respondent in Mombasa) 68

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“I do switch especially when I travel because some places don’t get the signal and sometimes I just listen to what others listen to in that area.” (Male Respondent in Eldoret) However, study findings reveal that 91% of respondents get clear signals on radio stations listened to compared to 9% who do not. Chart 9 displays these findings. Chart 9: Respondents on Clarity of radio signals

GENERAL MEDIA USAGE PATTERNS The study sought to check whether there was any difference in media usage among male and female genders. The study findings reveal that the female gender was more inclined towards the use of radio as compared to the male gender that prefer the use of newspapers for the depth of coverage in news items especially on politics and sports. Findings show that women prefer the radio as it allows for multi-tasking while in the house. Participants in the FGDs also preferred to use the television as a result of it visual aspect. One respondent also observed the following: “I prefer TV, because they talk about events and issues that I see. I also like it because it gives me a summary of what is happening in the world at any given day…” (Respondent in Nairobi) TELEVISION-SPECIFIC The study sought to find out the general media usage patterns in television stations. In specific, the study sought to find out how long the television stations have been used by the study respondents, the frequency of use, the types of programmes watched on the stations and respondents specific likes and dislikes in television stations. Study findings reveal that 90% of respondents have viewed television for a very long time. Many respondents noted having started to watch television while they were young and have since always relied on television for 69

information. One respondent observed the following: “I started watching TV I would say very early since the [days of] analogue TV now that we are going digital.” (Respondent in Nairobi) Chart 10 displays findings in percentage of respondents who have watched television. Chart 10: Whether respondent watches TV

However, further findings reveal that TV viewership is a recent phenomenon among respondents that lacked a TV set when they were young. One respondent observed the following: “… not for a long time may be for 5 years am always proud of whom I am… I grew up locally so I can say I have started using the TV for 3 years now” (Male Respondent in Eldoret) Study findings reveal that 66% of respondents watch Citizen TV, 22% of respondents watch NTV, 20% watch KTN while KBC and K24 recorded a 9% each. Upon being asked about the credibility of news sources on television, 61% of respondents believe the news items to be true. Chart 11 displays the findings and illustrates the credibility on news items aired on television.

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Chart 11: Credibility of what is heard on TV

Further study findings reveal that respondents highly rate television programmes in terms of objectivity and accuracy. Chart 12 displays these findings in detail. Chart 12: Rating of TV news programmes

Chart 13: TV stations usually watched

Further study findings reveal that 80 % of television respondents believe that television caters the needs of all age groups and social groups. Chart 14 shows the findings. Chart 14: TV stations catering for age and social groups

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However, 20% of the respondents do not believe that the TV stations watched cater for all age and social groups . The old and the children were cited as the most discriminated social groups at 57% and 37% respectively. Table 18 details other neglected social groups. Table 18: Age and social groups neglected by television Not catered for by TV stations % Not catered for by TV stations The old 57% The poor Children 37% Street children Adults 1% The blind Rural people 1% Country music fans The illiterate 2% Youth The disabled 6% Albinos The deaf 3% Muslims 0% means mentions below 0.05%

1% 1% 3% 0% 2% 0% 0%

Eigthy six percent of the respondents receive clear television signals compared to 14% who do not. Chart 34 displays this finding. Chart 15: Whether respondent gets a clear TV signal

Twenty five percent of respondents felt the need to remove some of the television programs aired on various television stations. Chart 16 illustrates this finding.

Chart 16: Any programmes to be taken off the air

Promotion of adult content not fit for children consumption was cited as the major reason why some programmes should not be aired. Other reasons cited were immorality, boredom, culture erosion among others. Table 19 illustrates detailed information regarding the findings.

Wrestling

Triumph o of Love

Condom adverts

7 11

3 1

1 1

1 -

1 1

1 -

Papa Shirandula

The Beat

Music

Cheaters

Slim possible

Afro sinema

N=408 Reasons for disliking the programmes Not good for children Boring Promotes immorality Erodes culture Misleading to women

Soap opera

Table 19: TV Programmes which respondents are unhappy with

Status of Media in Kenya

Not good to families Not entertaining Not educativefull of witchcraft Time wasting No clear agenda

2012

However, study findings reveal a 72% overall media consumersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; satisfaction index for Television viewing. Chart 17 gives in detail the findings of the study on overall satisfaction rate. Chart 17: Overall satisfaction with TV

FREQUENCY OF USE The findings of the study reveal that 86% of respondents watch television on daily basis for constant update of news. Two respondents alluded to this fact as follows: “I watch TV News, mainly morning and evening.” (Male Respondent in Mombasa) “… mostly I watch the TV daily when am at home.” (Respondent in Nairobi) Chart 18 Frequency of television viewing

However, findings of the study further show that respondents substitute television for other media channels such as the newspapers in search for deeper analysis of news items due to repetitive nature of news items from other media channels such as the radio. Participants in the FGDs were of the opinion that television only informs most people about the news headlines while the newspapers were opted for deeper understanding of the headline news watched on television. However, other respondents were of the opinion that news should be fresh to avoid a repetition of the same news. One respondent echoed these sentiments: “I don’t like it when I watch TV today and when I buy the newspaper tomorrow, it is full of the same news stories that I saw on TV last night…” ( Respondent in Nairobi) Findings also show that television viewership also depend on the availability of the viewer, the location and the accessibility of the communication channel as not everyone can 76

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afford to own a television set. One respondent stated the following: “I watch TV everyday when am in town but I cannot do so when I visit my rural home because I don’t have a TV there.” (Male Respondent in Eldoret) Findings show that television is mostly watched at home while a few respondents mentioned watching it on mobile phones, the internet or in the office receptions. Upon being asked with whom the respondents watch television, women cited watching television at home with their friends, family or parents whereas majority of the men watch television from different places depending on the time of the day. Twenty percent (20%) of respondents watch television early in the morning compared to 83% who do so in the evenings. Table 20 displays this information in detail. Table 20: When respondent watches TV When TV is watched % In the mornings 20 Around lunch time 5 Throughout the day 8 In the evenings 83 Late at night 15 Weekends only 2 Findings of the study reveal that a majority of male will watch TV during a football match in a company of strangers but who enjoy football. One respondent expressed why he prefers watching football with a company as follows: “It is really boring watching football alone or with someone who is not interested on the same. Sometimes you watch it with strangers in the pub and discuss about it during half time.” (Male Respondent in Kisumu) On the other hand, married men prefer watching TV in bars at the evening to give space for their spouses who will watch Soap Operas at the evening. This, the study found, limits competition and fight over who watches which television channel. One respondent noted the following: “When am watching football, I cannot watch it alone. So I just go to the bar and watch it from there with friends because you cannot watch it in the house in the accompany of your sisters or wife who wants to watch soaps operas and are not interested in football matches.” (Male Respondent in Nairobi)

“I pass by the hotels and watch for some minutes before going home… I watch the news and then listen to the talks of Jeff Koinange at K24.” (Male Respondent in Eldoret) PROGRAMMES WATCHED The findings of the study reveal that news segments in the mornings and in the evenings are the most widely watch programmes on television. However, findings indicate a huge significant difference based on gender with regard to most preferred programmes on television. A majority of the female respondents indicated to watch news items as well as the soap operas while the male respondents on the other hand were more inclined to watching news items and sports oriented programmes especially relating to international football matches. One respondent noted: “I just watch the news and favourite programme like wrestling” ( Nairobi Respondent) Further findings reveal that locally produced programmes as compared to the international soap operas were most preferred amongst respondents interviewed. “I also like watching news and then there are some programmes I like watching like Tahidi High” - Mombasa Lady “I like watching the news and Machachari” - Kisumu Lady “ I like the local dramas like Mother-In-Law, I used to watch Papa Shirandula until it lost its taste and Tahidi High and also Makutano Junction but for the soaps I think all of them have the same story line.” - Eldoret Lady However, upon being asked if there were programmes which the respondents felt should be removed on air, 82% said no compared to 18% of the respondents who were in agreement. Chart 19 displays these findings.

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Chart 19: Any programmes respondent wants taken off the air

Table 21 below gives a list of radio stations that respondents felt should not be on air citing among other reasons vulgar and dirty talking. Table 21: Radio programmes respondent wants taken off Station No. Station No. Classic 173 Inooro 12 Kiss 16 Ghetto 9 Citizen 14 KBC 8

Busted Rush hour

Station No. Easy 7 Jambo 6 QFM 3

Programmes respondents want taken off the air Maina & Morning Show Breakfast Music Live talk King’ang’i Show show Bonokode News in Sheng Salaam Huba Mahaba

Reasons for disliking the programme Breaks marriages/unions Too much sex talk They are falsified Misleading listeners Invasion of privacy They are abusive Vulgar and dirty talking Promoting immorality Not good for children Interrupting music programme Undermining people’s religion TELEVISION SPECIFIC LIKES Findings show that most respondents prefer television as a source of information as it can be transmitted live from an event covered supported by its visual aspect. “…it is real, I get to see pictures also, fastest, national coverage; it is also well researched” (Male Respondent in Kisumu) “Because when you see it, it is more believable as compared to radio… I think the TV shows real action information as compared to other sources” (Male in Respondent Mombasa) “I think TV, because the component of surety and its visual ability brings out the density of the information for instance, one is able to see the TV announcer’s emotions on their face unlike the radio, unlike the radio …” (Respondent in Nairobi) TELEVISION-SPECIFIC DISLIKES The findings of the study reveal that most respondents dislike the use of repetitive commentators on serious issues hence a lack of a fresh perspective regarding issues affecting the society. Respondents in the FGDs were of the opinion that Kenya has many experienced and well educated analysts in different fields, however, when it comes to seeking opinion, the media prefers the same faces that are always seen as political analysts, economic analysts, 80

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medical analysts among others too common for the public with similar arguments. This limits the people’s abilities to read or hear divergent opinions which can stimulate public debate to bring about a positive outcome in the society. One respondent was of this opinion: “…. The media keeps on bringing the same person over and over as an analyst. This is too annoying as there is need for a different opinion.” - Nairobi Respondent RADIO-SPECIFIC The study sought to find out the general media usage patterns in radio stations. In specific, the study sought to find out how long the radio stations have been used by the study respondents, the frequency of use, the types of programmes listened to on the stations and respondents specific likes and dislikes with regard to listening radio broadcast. Study findings show that 82% of respondents listen to the radio station every day of the week. Chart 20 gives details on the timing on radio listenership in Kenya. Chart 20: How often respondent listens to the radio

Although study findings could not establish the exact period of years on radio listening among interviewed respondents, findings reveal that radio has been used for a long time. One respondent observed the following: “I have been listening to the radio for a long time it is now am just being honest about it because I was brought up in the villages and TVs were not available there so the only thing that you could rely on was the radio to get information.” (Respondent in Nairobi) Findings also reveal that a majority of respondents claimed to have started listening to

the radio since their childhood as it was the only source of information especially in rural remote areas where television sets are not readily accessible. Two respondents noted the following: “…I listened to the radio since I was young because my mother like listening to it and also because it is cheap and easily available and affordable even if you don’t have electricity.” (Female Respondent in Kisumu) “…since I was young… for as long as I can remember, I have been listening to the radio.” (Male Respondent in Mombasa) FREQUENCY OF USE Findings reveal that majority of the respondents claimed to use the radio regularly regardless of location. Findings reveal that 81% of the respondents listen to the radio while at homes compared to 7% who listen to radio at social places. 25% of respondents listen to the radio in offices, compared to 8% who do so in their vehicles while 18% of respondents listen to the radio wile in public means of transport. Chart 21 displays the study findings. Chart 21: Place of radio listening

The study further sought to know how respondents receive radio programmes. 85% indicated to use home radio sets compared 15% who use public transport radio. 29% of respondents indicated as to use mobile phones. Chart 22 displays these study findings.

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Chart 22: How respondent normally receives radio programmes

Participants in the FGDs were in consensus that with the availability of many radio channels on the mobile phones, some listeners claimed to have unlimited hours while using radio as it can be used anywhere and at any time depending on the listener’s availability. Three respoendents allude to this fact: “I use the radio every day but sometimes, like using it more on the evening after work and mornings after I wake up.” (Male Respondent in Mombasa ) “When am going to work I listen to the radio in the public matatu.” ( Nairobi Respondent) “I am a housewife but I listen to the radio when am doing my work. I use it on daily basis.” (Female Respondent in Eldoret ) Upon being asked to tell with whom they listen the radio with, FGDs were in consensus that most people enjoy listening to the radio when they are alone while times on the day differed due to people’s availability and listenership interests. Findings show that 53% of the respondents listen to the radio very early in the morning compared to 46% who do that in the evening. Older people record the highest morning listenership on radio stations for news items and entertainment through music and the talk shows available at these times of the day. On the other hand, younger respondents claimed to listen to radio at all times using their mobile.

Chart 23: Radio listenership

Findings show that spouses and other family members share early morning programmes on radio broadcasts both at home or while using personal vehicles, or with strangers in public transport commuting for work or other early morning chores that bring people together for a certain period of time. This is usually true in the evenings during the rush hours when people retire for their homes. One respondent observed the times and reason for listening to radio as follows: â&#x20AC;&#x153;When am at home my parents like listening to Kameme which is tuned on early in the morning but the good thing is that they have good worship songs played which I enjoy listening to and am ok with that and sometimes I listen to EASY FM but I do this very rarely.â&#x20AC;? (Female Respondent in Mombasa ) Chart 24 gives analysis of findings regarding the place where radio listening occurs. Chart 24: Place of normal radio listenership

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Findings also reveal that the choice on the radio to listen to depends on the age, the time and the type of work that the listener is engaged in. One respondent observed the following: “Radio listening depends on where you are, for example, when am at home I listen to the radio with my wife and children.” (Male Respondent in Eldoret) “The type of station I listen to also depends with the age of the person am in company with.” Male Respondent in Kisumu)

(

Asked as to whether radio stations listened to catered for the needs of all age groups and social groups, 69% agreed so compared to 31% who did not. Chart 25 displays the findings below. Chart 25: Whether radio stations cater for all age and social groups

Further findings on the study reveal that the type of content aired on radio stations may result to switching of the stations especially when the topics are not very family friendly. “ Radio listening depends with the topic and also the company. I do not listen to any topics that make s me uncomfortable in the presence of parents or younger children.” (Respondent in Nairobi) Findings also revealed that most respondents like to listen to various stations for different reasons and switching patterns were most noticeable for certain hours of the day and week depending on what was being featured at that time particular time.

PROGRAMMES LISTENED TO ON RADIO Findings reveal varied types of programmes and stations listened to among interviewed respondents in the study. News was the most widely sought after radio programmes among respondents at 43% compared to music at 25%. Chart 26 presents further study findings on this score. Chart 26: Radio program that interests respondent most â&#x20AC;&#x201C; first mention

Music was mostly cited at 58% followed by current affairs at 40%. Other radio programmes that were mentioned were educational programmes, education, salaams and shout outs. Chart 27 shows the findings of the study. Chart 27: Radio programmes mentioned

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Most generally listened stations that got mentioned in the study were: Classic FM, Kiss 100, Q FM, Capital FM, Baraka FM and Citizen Radio. Two respondents expressed the following: “I listen to KISS 100, Citizen and sometime Q FM. Sometimes I also like listening to Capital because I love rock from 1 to 7pm” - Nairobi Respondent “Citizen mostly on Thursday at 10 there is a programme that I like very much. Because it teaches me the way you live in marriage life which is very important.” - Kisumu Lady Most listened to vernacular radio stations mentioned were: Mulembe and Ramogi in Kisumu region, KASS FM in Eldoret region, Kameme and Inooro FM in Nairobi region and Radio Jambo in Mombasa region. One respondent observed the following: “I like Baraka FM because I come from that area and sometimes it identifies with the people of the coast especially the Muslims and touch on programmes that are interesting and important to the religion” - Mombasa Male “I like listening to Mulembe fm when am at home and also Citizen. Because mostly they inform me about events happening on remote villages and the surrounding areas.” - (Male Respondent in Eldoret) BBC was the most commonly mentioned international broadcasts for its educative programmes. One respondent expressed the following: “I would say BBC, because I think because they give detailed information compared to what is prepared locally.” (Nairobi Respondent) The study also sought to determine the quality of radio programmes in Kenya on specified aspects using a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 was “poor” and 5 was “very good”. The scores on each evaluation aspect were recorded and a mean of the scores obtained. The findings revealed accuracy and objectivity of news reporting at 3.6 compared to 3.7 rating on equal airing time for opposing viewpoints. Chart 28 gives further analysis on the rating.

Chart 28: Rating the quality of programmes

RADIO-SPECIFIC LIKES Findings show that radio was most liked due to its interactive nature as it allows the user to give feedback on issues that they feel are important to them. The same reason was echoed amongst internet users. One respondent allude to this fact as follows: “I would also say radio because there are people who call back and give opinion and I can weigh the information given.” (Female Respondent in Eldoret) Unlike television and Newspapers where the feedback mechanism is time-bound, with Television limited only to the news polls segments and the Letter-To-The-Editor segments on the newspaper, findings indicate that respondents applaud call-in sessions which gives listeners a leeway to contribute immediate feedback and express their opinions. This is important in promoting public participation on debates that aim to educate and inform them to make informed decisions. RADIO-SPECIFIC DISLIKES Findings show that respondents dislike embarrassing content aired on most radio stations. Respondents across the study alluded to the fact that timings for adult content aired on broadcasting stations be rearranged to avoid exposure among younger ones. “I think it has become a trend for all of them to talk about sex and anything that is vulgar considering the time that they air these talks is in the morning and these times you are with the children who are going to school or even in a Matatu with an elderly person. So sometimes what they say you feel embarrassed so much about it.” – Kisumu Lady “….maybe I can say some programmes which are for adults like the Classic where they talk things 88

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that are not worth for children to listen to. I have a problem with the programme Busted, because they are too over rated” - Mombasa Male “….like Q FM, I can’t listen to it at around 5pm because they talk about things which are too over rated.” - Mombasa Lady Respondents dislike the introduction of ‘celebrities’ as radio presenters. Some of them, they said, had no training in journalism. This was especially mentioned negatively when it comes to comedians who are taken into mainstream media, yet their ethics or perception does not improve on the media as a whole.

Chapter 8 Conclusions and Recommendations

TRENDS IN THE MEDIA ased on the findings presented in the preceding chapters, the following conclusions and subsequent recommendations can be made:

Training Training opportunities for journalists have improved over the years with several universities, both private and public, and a number of middle level colleges offering certificate, diploma or degree courses in the communicative fields. However, this mushrooming of training opportunities has come with a risk that some of the institutions including universities are ill equipped to offer the required quality training. Qualifications With more training opportunities, the journalist of today has a far better chance of acquiring the qualifications to practice his or her profession in the print media, electronic media, and broadcasting or in public relations. However, because employers are increasingly shunning training journalists for comedians and sexy presenters, they are finding it hard to enter into media positions.

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Ethical standards Among the perceived core values of journalism highlighted in this survey by journalists and media practitioners were integrity of journalism, accurate reporting and objectivity in addition to freedom of speech and adherence to laid down rules. These values however remain unknown to a lot of untrained “journalists” who are being preferred by employers. New Technologies With the emergence of the mobile phone, a new trend is emerging with the use of the phone to access both the traditional as well as new media. Fears brought on by this trend are the integrity of the sources and the privacy of the individual, when anyone can post content. Media perception Media in Kenya is generally considered to be informative, entertaining and educative; with the media given credit for highlighting development issues, educative programmes and introducing fresh journalism across all sectors of mainstream media. However, there is a concern that most of the mainstream media is very similar in terms of their content, with many of the stations especially on television and radio giving similar content during same time blocs, thus limiting the viewer’s options for switching channels. Since media liberalization happened, there is a general feeling that the media has lost its initial authoritative and incisive reporting and resorted to giving the public what the public wants to hear, read about or see. One segment which the media are perceived to have left out is children and the youth. The media is also seen as having generally made Kenyan leadership more transparent and accountable. This has come at great risk to both the journalists and publishers. SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS • Traditional media, TV, radio and print have been the main sources of news and information for decades. However, the emergence and rapid growth of the Internet and mobile telephony is an important new factor. Nevertheless, the swift growth of the Internet and mobile telephony has raised fears about the integrity of sources and the privacy of the individual. Almost anyone can post content on social media. MCK should address these emerging trends, integrate social media into regulated media policy, and promptly address the fears it creates. •

MCK needs to find a middle ground in ensuring that the various media players take into consideration the needs of all parties involved.

•

With regard to the media presenters, there is a need to regulate their public conduct to ensure that there is a balance in sensitivity to local cultural and societal expectations as well as exposure to what is good from the West. There is urgent need for the development of a harmonized training curriculum

•

for the training of journalists in the country. The Media Council of Kenya, the Commission for Higher Education and the Ministry of Higher Education need to streamline the journalism training and provide standards.

•

It is recommended that the MCK focuses on ensuring that the consumers’ needs are explored and met by the media houses in terms of diversity of content as well as age appropriateness.

•

The MCK may also look into ways to improve security and integrity of the journalists as well as their contributors, in order to ensure continuity in the media transparency and incisive style of journalism. Further, engagement of stakeholders is needed to evaluate how the MCK can effectively provide for this without compromising the journalists, and without encouraging fraudulent behaviour in the industry.

•

The Media Council of Kenya and other regulatory bodies including CCK and Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) need to build capacities to monitor the conduct of the various media channels to avoid them being abused for narrow political, business and personal interests.

•

The MCK should protect the interests of media consumers by ensuring diversity of content and plurality in news sources through the development of appropriate policy guidelines.

•

MCK should work with media owners to ensure that minimum qualifications are met while recruiting media workers while ensuring that continuing training takes place to enhance professional skills.

•

The MCK needs to carry out extensive media literacy campaigns for the public to understand its mandate and activities as a protector of press freedom in the country.

•

The safety and protection of journalists is paramount in press freedom; the MCK and MOA need to work on ensuring that media workers operate in a safe environment and are protected while in the course of duty.

•

It is recommended that the MCK focuses on ensuring that the consumers’ needs for diversity of content and appropriateness are explored and met by the media as well as on improving the security and integrity of journalists to ensure the media is transparent and incisive in its work.

•

It is recommended that the MCK engage in consumer education and sensitization

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of the role of MCK to create a clear differentiation of their role as compared to all the other players in the media industry. â&#x20AC;˘

It is also recommended that the MCK be seen to be vocal and carrying out its mandate of disciplining the media, through clearly set policies that will govern the conduct of media players.

â&#x20AC;˘

We also recommend that the MCK actively engage all players in the media including the consumers to educate them on the obligations, rights and expectations of each segment through extensive communications campaigns and informative and interactive consumer education.

REFERENCES

Abbas, H. A. & Al-Fadhly, S. M. (2005) Computer Ethics, Kuwait, Publication Committee Kuwait University, Abuoga, J.B and Mutere, A, (1988) The History of the Press in Kenya Nairobi: The African Council on Communication Education,) Annual Progress Report 2004-2005: Economic Recovery Strategy, BBC World Service Trust, (2008). Policy Briefs No. 1. BBC( 2008), BBC World Service Trust policy Brief No. 1. Books and Newspapers Act, Cap 111 of the Laws of Kenya. Canadian International Development Agencyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (2008) Kenya Media Sector Analysis Carter I. (2007) Positive and Negative Liberty. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 389, retrieved from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/liberty-positive-negative/ Commission of Inquiry (2008) Post Election Violence Report. Commonwealth Secretariat. (2008). Kenyan editors see big responsibility after elections, March 6th 2008 Retrieved November 19,2009 from http://www. thecommonwealth.org/news/34580/34581/176109/060308kenyaeditors.htm Communications Commission of Kenya , (2007). Annual Report 2006-2007. Consumer Insight How Ads Behave in Kenya Retrieved November 18, 2008 from http://www.ciafrica.com/howadsperform.html. Defamation Act, Cap 36 of the Laws of Kenya. Elkins, C.,( 2005) Britainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gulag : The Brutal End of Empire in Kenya London: Jonathan Cape

Status of Media in Kenya

2012

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