Maximizing Community Development

Production and sharing of local content by

community media groups in Kenya
A project report by the Kenya Community Media Network (KCOMNET) to
UNESCOs International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC).
June ,2013

Executive Summary

Maximizing Community Development

Production and sharing of local content by
community media groups in Kenya

This is a summary report of a project which was carried out by the Kenya
Community Media Network (KCOMNET) on September 2012 May 2013
through the financial support of International Programme for the Development
of Communication (IPDC). The goal of the project was to enhance the capacity
of community media in Kenya through the development and sharing of local
content.

Five community radio stations and community media groups from five counties
were engaged in the project: The community radio stations are Radio Mangelete
in Makueni County, Mugambo FM in Meru County, Sauti Hundhwe FM in Siaya
County, Mwanedu FM in TaittaTaveta County and Koch FM in Nairobi County. The
five community radio stations worked in collaboration with community theatre
groups and artists to identify the issue of priority interest in their communities
from which they developed and produced a series of drama shows which are
being presented on air at the community radio stations, at community social
centres and shared through KCOMNET and EACOMNET website and social
media platforms.
The presentation of the community drama shows is the climax of the projects
activities which commenced with a five days training and content development
workshop which was held in Nairobi on October 22 26, 2012. The workshop
was followed by on-site visits to the five locations served by the community
radio stations to monitor, evaluate and mentor local processes on content
sharing through community radio stations, community social centres and online
platforms. The ensuing radio programmes have been shared at KCOMNET and
EACOMNET websites and on social media platforms. A video documentary has
been produced to share the lessons and experiences to a wider audience.

A project report by the Kenya Community Media Network (KCOMNET) to

UNESCOs International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC).
Editor: Njuki Githethwa, KCOMNET
Design and Layout: Amos Ochieng, KCOMNET
Cover illustration: copyright PIWA/Tagor
Photographs: Ezekiel Akwanah, KCOMNET
June, 2013

This report will cover the following areas:

Contact Person:

Njuki Githethwa, Coordinator, Kenya Community Media Network(KCOMNET)

Shalom House, off Ngong Road, St. Daniel Comboni Rd, Wing C, 1st Floor
P.O. Box 2641 - 00100, Nairobi; Tel: 254 0202379949; Cell: +254 722 474 221
Email: njuki@kcomnet.org/njukig@yahoo.com
Website: www.kcomnet.org

1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0

Project Background
Summaries of the main activities
Achievements
Next Steps
Conclusion

1.0 Project Background

Community Media continues to be an active participant in the pursuit of

sustainable development of communities and the larger society. This is more
so when community media sticks to its core mandate of reflecting and shaping
content which is generated from the developmental aspirations of their target
communities, be it a geographic or a community of interest.

Community media is expressed in various art-forms that are located in

grassroots communities. These art-forms include community theatre, paintings,
music, puppetry shows, folk dialogues, story-telling, newsletters, and others
reflective of community interests and aspirations. However, community radio is
recognized as the flagship of community media due to its capacity to integrate
and promote other forms of community media.
The manner in which other forms of community media are able to integrate
with community radio is important for the sustenance of content which leads
to sustainable community development. It is within this perspective that IPDC
supported KCOMNET for a 9 months project (September 2012 May 2013)
which seeks to build the capacity of community media in Kenya through the
development and sharing of local content.

The focus of the project was to support the collaboration between community
theatre groups/ artists and community radio stations to generate content on the
priority issues in their communities, develop the issues into radio drama shows
which can be presented on air at the community radio stations, at community
social centres and be shared at the website of KCOMNET and EACOMNET and
on social media platforms.
The project was carried out in collaboration with five community radio stations
and community theatre in five counties in Kenya. In all the five locations,
community theatre groups and artists worked in collaboration with community
radio producers to identify the top priority issue in their community from which
they developed radio theatre shows which are currently being broadcast weekly
at the community radio stations and at community social centres.

The project continues to cement the active collaboration amongst community

media groups in communities to produce and present content that is relevant to
their communities and in the development of a sustainable society.

2.0 Summary of main activities

2.1 Capacity development workshop
The five days workshop was held in Nairobi on 22-26 October, 2012.
The aim of the workshop was to equip five community based media
groups in Kenya with professional skills in the production and
sharing of locally relevant content which will inform and engage
community members in debates concerning issues of importance to
the community and nationally to develop and share local content.
The workshop was attended by 25 participants drawn from
community theatre groups and community radio producers from five
counties in Kenya.
Workshop objectives:

(i) To equip five community based media groups from five regions
in Kenya with professional skills in producing local relevant content
that will effectively inform, communicate and engage community
members in debates concerning issues of community and national
importance within their locality.
(ii) To provide a platform for diverse groups in Kenya to develop
and share local content that is relevant to their communities

The workshop was formally opened by Mr. Jaco Du Toit, Adviser for
Communication and Information UNESCO Regional office. In his
opening remarks, Mr. Jaco urged the participants to continue reporting
on developmental issues and to engage the participation of grassroots
communities in debates that would lead to the improvement of their
livelihoods and community development.

Areas covered during the workshop.

(i) Understanding community media by Njuki Githethwa, Coordinator, KCOMNET
(ii) Reinforcing community radio through online platforms and content sharing and
distribution by Grace Githaiga, Media and Internet Governance Consultant
(iii) Development of local content by George Ndikwe, Consultant
(iv) Skills on interviews, reporting and production of radio programs by Joyce
Mwaura, Lecturer, Kenya Institute of Mass Communications(KIMC)
(v) Writing and producing radio drama by Dan Oloo and Simon Mukali,
Producers - Media Development in Africa (MEDEVA)
Outputs

1) Enhancement of the capacities of the participants with the professional skills to

develop, produce and share local content on air, online platforms and at community
social centres. Certificates of participation were issued to the participants at the end
of the workshop.
2) Participants produced sample radio drama programs that acted as guides for the
development and production of radio theatre programmes in their communities.
3) Participants shared the programs on their facebook walls. Some participants
interacted the first time with facebook and other social media platforms during the
workshop and opened their first facebook accounts.

2.2 Onsite visits

On-site visits were carried out to the five community radio stations. The purpose of
the visits was to mentor and guide the collaboration of community theatre groups
and community radio, guide the development and production of radio drama shows
which are currently being presented at the community radio stations, community
social centres and shared at KCOMNET and EACOMNET websites.

The following are summaries of the interventions at specific sites during the on-site
visits:

89.1

Radio Mangelete Makueni County

Mangelete Community Radio, popularly known as Radio Mangelete, is located at Nthongoni Location, 14
kilometres west of Mtito Andei town in Makueni County. It broadcasts in Kamba, the local language with
intersperses of Kiswahili, the national language. The radios frequency is 89.1FM. The radio station is
a project of Mangelete Community Integrated Development Programme (MCIDP), a community based
organisation. MCIDP brings together 33 poor rural women groups from the locations of Nthongoni,
Ivingoni, and Masongaleni all located in Makueni County. The mission of the radio is to facilitate
community participation in development and the empowerment of women through information and
educational programs.
The community radio collaborated with artists from a community theatre group known as Talents
Afrika. The issue of priority interest in the community was the ravages of HIV/AIDS. They produced
episodes of a drama series known as NthangayaThayu (A stitch in life). The drama show which last 10
minutes is broadcast weekly at the community radio station on Wednesday and Saturday at 8.20 p.m.

96.1

Mwanedu FM Taita Taveta County

Mwanedu FM has a frequency allocation of 96.1. It is located at Voi town and covers many others
areas in TaitaTaveta County. The station broadcasts in Kiswahili, English and Kitaita languages.
Kiswahili takes about 80 per cent of the language content. Kitaita takes up 18 per cent and the
remaining 2 per cent is in English. The aim of the station is to empower the grassroots population
for informed choices. The stations programs have been tailored to address interests of the
entire spectrum of the coverage area. The station has placed a big premium on socio-economic
development. Lying along the Kenya-Tanzania geographical coordinates, the station remains an
important tool for multi and inter-business links. The community within the stations broadcast
area engages in various economic activities.
The community radio collaborated with artists from a theatre group known as Wafuasi Theatre.
The issue of priority interest in the community was abuse of drugs which is a big menance at the
coastal region. The team produced episodes of radio drama series known as Fumbo la Mwana(
Puzzle of the child). The drama last for 7 minutes programmes and is broadcast weekly at the
community radio station on Monday to Friday at 8.30 p.m.

102.3

Mugambo FM Meru County

Mugambo FM is a project of Mugambo Jwetu Multimedia Centre, a community based organization

which was registered in 2008. The station is located in Tigania East Constituency, in Meru
County. Its broadcasting frequency is 102.3 FM. The multimedia project also runs a telecentre.
It has a coverage radius of 30kilometers.The main goal of the project is to empower the target
community through various forms of information technology. The main economic activities in
the region are farming and business.
The community radio collaborated with theatre artists from the community. They identified
alcoholism as the pressing and cross-cutting issue in the community. The team developed
and produced episodes of a radio drama series known as Gutii Mbich Itiiri (There is no end to
learning). The drama which lasts for 10 minutes is broadcast at the community radio station on
Fridays at 9.20 p.m and repeated on Tuesdays at 7.20 a.m

98.1

Sauti FM Siaya County

The community radio is located at Asembo Bay Shopping Centre on the shores of Lake Victoria
in Rarieda District, Bondo County.The estimated signal coverage of the station is a population
of about 650,000 people. The radio broadcasts in dholuo, the local language..The community
within Hundhwe FMs signal coverage area engages in various economic activities. The main
economic activities include farming, fishing, and small scale businesses. They are also some
professional in formal employment and workers skilled in various trades in the area.

The community radio collaborated with a theatre artists from a community based organization
known as Community Youth Self Empowerment Group (CYSEG). The team identified ignorance
on community health as the cause of most problems in the community. The team developed
and produced episodes of ad drama series known as Sinyore, which means a reckless person.
The drama series is broadcast at the community radio station on Thursday at 8p.m.

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Koch FM Nairobi County

99.9

Koch FM is based in Korogocho slums, Nairobi County. Its broadcasting frequency is 99.9MHZ.
The mission of the station is to provide a platform for the community, issues through information
sharing, education and communication with a view to promote their social, political and
economic well-being.
Koch FM was brought on board as a partner in the project to replace Rware FM in Nyeri County
which was off-air for a long time. Representatives from the community radio station had been
taken through the purpose, objectives and goals of the project by KCOMNET staff prior to
their engagement as active project partners. This was followed up in a reflection and content
development session at the vicinity of the community radio station.

The community radio collaborated with theatre artists from the community. They identified
corruption as one of the root causes of all the problems in the community and in the country.
They developed content on the theme of corruption and produced episodes of a radio drama
show known as Mla leo. The drama series is broadcast weekly at the community radio station
on Thursdays at 7.45 a.m and on Fridays at 8.30 p.m.

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3.0 Achievements

The project has enhanced the collaboration of community radio stations and
community theatre artists which are important community media actors. Usually,
community radio express their inability to sustain on air radio drama shows
due to the high costs of supporting community artists and related production
expenses. On the other hand, community artists and groups find it difficult to
present their productions at community radio stations due to their inability to
afford costs on airtime and mobilization costs.

KCOMNET has planned follow-up engagements for the project in the following
areas:

This project has showcased an example of a fruitful working relationship between

the community radio stations and community theatre artists in a manner that
is beneficial to the two integral players of community media in their efforts of
providing communities with communication outlets in the pursuit of sustainable
development.

4.0 Next Steps

1) Keep the groups active by following the development and production of new
programmes, the sharing of the programmes at the community radio, social media
and social media platforms of the partners, KCOMNET and EACOMNET.
2) The groups to pick other issues of priority interest in the community and
formulate various strategies and formats of sharing the content at the available
platforms.

3) Increase the number of project partners and introduce them to the message
matrix and the programme schedules processes to generate priority issues of
interest in the community and the development of radio programmes

Locating a strategic theme at each site has helped to refocus community media
actors to their core mandate of producing content that is reflective of issues of
priority interest in their communities and which are generated in a participatory
process.
The project has thus ingrained the focus on local content and community
participation that are necessary for the sustenance and furtherance of ideals,
values and pillars of community media. This has in effect furthered the endeavor
to enhance the engagements of community radio stations in the generation of
and sharing of content that is unique to their identity which is distinct from their
private and public counterparts.

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5.0 Conclusion
The engagement of community media in the development and sharing of local content is a systematic capacity
building process. This project has built the capacity of five community media groups in Kenya through five
intervention strategies:
(i) skills development; (ii) onsite visits; (iii) monitoring, evaluation and mentoring;
(iv) documentation and (v) sharing.

An integral component of the project is the monitoring and evaluation, a continuous process which takes the
form of mentoring and participatory for it to be sustained and targeted at integral community development.
This is the onus which Kenya Community Media Network (KCOMNET) has taken up in collaboration with
partners to support community media groups to collaborate in the generation of local content based on
issues of priority interest in the community and nationally, and to be able to share the content at the target
community and with partners through online platforms and at community social centres.

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IPDC, Capacity Development Workshop Participants

Nairobi - Kenya, October 22 26, 2012