Kenya’s radio broadcasting industry has faced a decline in listenership due to the increased digitisation of media.
According to the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), radio listenership has dropped from 92% of the country’s population in 2014 to 77% in the last year. On the other hand, television viewership and online access have increased from 46% to 74% and from 27% to 57%, respectively, during the same period.
Meanwhile, newspaper readership has dipped to 7% from 21% in 2014. The report suggests that this shift in preferences reflects a significant transformation in how Kenyans engage with media. TV and online platforms are more prominent in shaping the country’s media consumption habits.
Although the number of operational radio stations grew from 120 in 2014 to 228 last year, the number of TV stations increased from nine to 182, while newspaper publications marginally rose from nine to 13.
The report also notes that male users and the elderly have posted a high percentage of those who listened to the radio and watched TV. In contrast, Internet usage was more pronounced among younger audiences, particularly those aged between 18 and 24, where it enjoys 72% consumption, followed closely by those aged 25 to 34, where 69% are regular users. The report further indicates that respondents from urban settings had a high percentage of those who watched TV, while those from rural settings had a high percentage of those who listened to radio.
CA says that traditional radio sets remain the primary medium for radio consumption, accounting for 78%, with mobile phones fast-rising to claim a significant alternative at 30%. The same trend is observed in TV content consumption, where TV sets remain the dominant tools at 93%, while mobile gadgets account for 9%. Social media usage is predominantly accessed and consumed through mobile devices at 96%, with a minimal 12% of users consuming via laptops or desktops. Roughly 50% of the participants reported daily engagement with both radio and television, while social media usage was a daily habit for nearly half of the respondents. In contrast, according to CA, more than two-thirds of the surveyed individuals admitted to not reading newspapers.
