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Kenya News - Media Overview And News HeadlinesFind everything you need to know on this page to stay updated with Kenya news. The
Kenya Union of Journalists
(KUJ) defends the interests of Kenyan journalists, both their interests as workers and freedom of the press.
The Latest Kenya News HeadlinesThe Kenyan MediaThe regime of Daniel arap Moi (1978-2002) held a tight grip on the media. The major tv and radio channels were government-owned, and were mouthpieces of the regime. However, much of the print media – the Daily Nation and The Standard – were privately owned and were harder to control. Members of the Moi regime would make regular phone calls to the newspapers with threats if the editors would not adhere to the government’s line.Since the Kibaki government, the media have gained a lot of freedom, which they are using fully. Compared to other African countries, Kenya has a vibrant media sector and newspapers such as the Daily Nation are an inspiration to journalists throughout Africa. There are also worries, among others about the consequences of media concentration. A few media companies own the bulk of the media. For example, the Nation Media Group owns the Nation TV channel, the radio station Nation FM, the Daily Nation newspaper, the Business Daily newspaper, the Taifa Leo newspaper, the weekly East African and What’s On magazine. It’s main competitor, the Standard Group, owns the Standard newspaper and the major tv channel KTN. The government-owned Kenya Broadcasting Corporation runs the bulk of the other important tv and radio channels. From the perspective of these media organisations, media concentration is logical. They can adapt the same content (e.g. news) to various media outlets, which reduces costs, and they provide a one-stop shop for advertisers. But for the citizens it would be better if media ownership is as diverse as possible.
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