Kabugi, Esther Wangari (2008) The Role of Kenyan Community Radios in the Promotion of Peace and Nationhood. Masters thesis, Hekima Collegea Constituent College of The Catholic University of Eastern Africa.
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Abstract
The World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters estimates that the number of community radio stations in sub-Saharan Africa has grown to more than 800 over the last 20 years. Precise numbers of community radios in Africa are difficult to establish. For example in Kenya, although there are no clear statistics available on the number of community radio stations, there are over 85 radio stations licensed to operate across Kenya. This absence of the number of community radios in Africa may be attributed to the fact that licensing requirements for establishing a community radio are not different from those required in setting up a commercial radio station. In Kenya, to open a community radio station, the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) stipulates that one must be in possession of a broadcasting permit issued by the Ministry of Information and Communications. The applicant must also have broadcasting equipment (including studio equipment and transmission antennae's) as the equipment type ought to be approved by the CCK prior to installation and use. Before the frequency is issued, the applicant is also expected to pay a frequency fee that can run up to 130, 000 shillings per year. Such annual fees are often too high for community radios to afford. The CCK also demands that broadcasting frequencies not utilized within twelve months from date of assignment are repossessed for reassignment to others. Community radios are aimed at informing, educating, entertaining and advocating for community issues. They often broadcast in local languages, addressing issues that directly affect their target community. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) perceives community radio as "one that is operated in the community, for the community, about the community and by the community. This community can be territorial or geographical. It can also be a group of people with common interests, who are not necessarily living in one defined territory. The distribution of community radios in Kenya is entirely based on the UNESCO definition. Thus, we find community radios in Western and Eastern Kenya, in the Central region and the Rift Valley. Community radios are designed to respond to the needs, interests and agendas set by the community. These could be in terms of their desire to consolidate their ethnic I cultural mandates, music, dance, idiomatic expressions and economic activities. For example, often, one listens to community broadcasting programs focusing on food production, livestock keeping for farmers and even education programs such as those on health matters. Therefore, journalists have to deal with a wide array of programs cutting across numerous topics. Juggling all the interests of a community is difficult, thus posing a major challenge to the program content and management of such radios. However, in areas where community priorities have been addressed, broadcasts arising out of these radios can be of a more massive and high impact unlike in commercial or large-scale media. Such results arise out of the mandate of many of these stations: to empower listeners by encouraging and enabling their participation in radio operations, social, cultural and political processes that affect the community. Proponents of community radio hold that better local communications can boost development, and, better still, can foster a spirit of nationhood amongst culturally diverse peoples living within a state.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Masters) |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | H Social Sciences > HE Transportation and Communications H Social Sciences > HT Communities. Classes. Races Z Bibliography. Library Science. Information Resources > ZA Information resources |
| Divisions: | Africana |
| Depositing User: | Geoffrey Obatsa |
| Date Deposited: | 27 Sep 2017 09:36 |
| Last Modified: | 27 Sep 2017 09:36 |
| URI: | http://thesisbank.jhia.ac.ke/id/eprint/2389 |
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