KENYA · MEDIA
Key Facts
- —The basics As of October 2026, Kenya has more than 100 radio stations, nearly 50 TV channels and four daily newspapers, led by Nation Media Group, Royal Media Services and the state broadcaster KBC.
- —Why it matters Kenya votes in a general election in August 2027, and the owners, regulators and courts that shape the news will decide how freely voters, investors and Washington can follow the race.
- —The numbers Kenya ranks 106th of 180 countries in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, had 88.0 million mobile SIM subscriptions in June 2026, and Nation Media Group earned about US$46.6 million in 2025 revenue.
- —Who is who Nation Media Group, whose 54.08% owner agreed in March 2026 to sell to Tanzanian businessman Rostam Azizi, owns Daily Nation and NTV, Royal Media Services runs Citizen TV, the Communications Authority licenses broadcasters, and the Media Council accredits journalists.
- —What to watch Watch the August 2027 campaign, the police inquiry into the September 2026 abduction of a Standard Group editor, and any appeal against court rulings that quashed a live-coverage ban and website-blocking powers.
- —What it means for you US readers should compare outlets across ownership camps, treat press freedom as a gauge of election risk, and remember that Meta, TikTok and Alphabet platforms carry much of Kenya’s online news.
Kenya media is a crowded market where a few owners, a government-linked regulator and the courts shape what people read and watch. This guide explains who owns what, how free the press is and how phones and social platforms carry the news.
Kenya media combines a few large private groups, a state broadcaster and a fast-growing online audience that depends on mobile phones. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) ranks Kenya 106th of 180 countries in its 2026 World Press Freedom Index, up from 117th in 2025.
That matters in the United States because Kenya votes in a general election in August 2027. Owners, regulators and courts shape how the race is covered, and Meta, Alphabet and TikTok platforms carry much of the online news.
Kenya Media at a Glance
RSF’s 2026 profile counts more than 100 radio stations and nearly 50 TV channels in Kenya, but only four daily newspapers. It names the Daily Nation as the most-read paper and Nation Media Group as the dominant Kenyan press group.
The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), the sector regulator, had assigned 978 FM frequencies by 30 June 2026. Its report counts 1.55 million active paid television subscriptions on that date, up 4.9% in a year.
Press freedom is enshrined in the 2010 Constitution, and Article 34 guarantees media freedom. Access to public information is still very difficult despite a law on the subject, RSF says.
Ethnicity is often linked to political loyalties and plays a big role in Kenyan journalism, RSF says. Stories on national security, terrorism, religion and trafficking are especially sensitive.
Newspapers and Their Owners
Nation Media Group (NMG) publishes the Daily Nation, the Kiswahili daily Taifa Leo, Business Daily and The EastAfrican. NMG says it is the largest independent media house in East and Central Africa, with 30 media brands in four countries.
Standard Group PLC publishes The Standard and the weekly The Nairobian, and runs the Standard Digital news site, its website says. The group is listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) under the symbol SGL.
The Star is part of Radio Africa Group, whose website lists it as a brand. Its shareholders are not published in any filing found.
RSF says much of Kenya’s media is owned by political leaders or people close to the government. After President William Ruto’s 2022 election, it says, heads of major press groups and outlets were fired under political pressure.
Print is shrinking and audited circulation figures are not published in one public source. NMG’s 2025 results blame lower print revenue for a 3.1% fall in group revenue to KES 6.04 billion (about US$46.6 million).
Television and Radio Broadcasters
The Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) is a state corporation set up by an Act of Parliament, its website says. Its public mandate covers English, Kiswahili and other languages, with radio services such as Radio Taifa, an English Service and regional stations.
Royal Media Services (RMS) was established in 1996 by Dr S.K. Macharia, its website says. It runs three TV stations, Citizen TV, Inooro TV and Ramogi TV, and 13 radio stations.
RSF says RMS dominates the market and that Citizen TV is among the most popular channels. The Reuters Institute’s 2025 survey found Citizen TV reached 68% of an online sample weekly, down from 76%.
NMG runs the TV channels NTV and QTV and the radio station Easy FM, the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development says. The Standard Group’s 2024 annual report lists KTN Home, KTN News, Btv, KTN Farmers TV and three radio stations.
RSF says three of the Standard Group’s four TV channels and Radio Vybez were forced to close in 2024. It names KTN News, KTN Burudani and KTN Farmers TV, two of which the company’s 2024 report also lists.
K24 is a Mediamax Network station, Kenyans.co.ke said in 2021, citing Communications Authority registration documents. A public shareholder register for Mediamax was not found.
Paid television is small, the CA’s figures show. At 30 June 2026 it counted 874,777 digital terrestrial, 643,947 satellite and 30,240 cable subscriptions.
The CA blames a 1.8% quarterly drop on viewers moving to internet TV and on higher decoder costs. Rising global chipset prices have made set-top boxes more expensive, it says.
Digital Outlets and Online Audiences
NMG says its digital footprint grew to 64.7 million users in 2025 from 62.5 million in 2024, and digital revenue rose 5%. Its website also lists 60 million monthly pageviews and 62.4 million social media followers in October 2026.
Citizen Digital calls itself the online home of all RMS brands, and Standard Digital carries the Standard Group’s news. Other sites such as Tuko.co.ke, named in the 2025 survey, add further competition.
The Digital News Report 2026, published on 16 June 2026, puts trust in Kenyan news at 68%. That compares with a global average of 37%, though the sample is urban, English-speaking and not representative.
Money pressures reach digital outlets too, and RSF says state bodies were urged to place advertising online while media debts went unpaid. NMG laid off 180 staff in June 2024, it adds.
The Standard Group’s first-half 2025 revenue fell 24% to KES 789 million (about US$6.1 million), its filing shows. It blamed slower government contracts and lower advertising.
Who Owns Kenya Media
On Tuesday, 10 March 2026, the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED) agreed to sell its Nation Media Group holding company. Buyer Taarifa Ltd is owned by Tanzanian businessman Rostam Azizi, and the holding company controls 54.08% of NMG.
By Saturday, 29 August 2026, Taarifa had completed the purchase and NMG had named six new directors, Kenyans.co.ke reported. One of them, Georgia Mutagahywa, is chief of staff to the chairman of Azizi’s Taifa Group, and NMG’s board page lists her.
NMG’s website now lists Joe Muganda as chairman and Geoffrey Odundo as group managing director and chief executive. The group’s audited 2025 results, dated Friday, 24 April 2026, show a pre-tax loss of KES 321 million (about US$2.5 million).
NMG is listed on the NSE under the symbol NMG. Its board did not recommend a final dividend for 2025.
At 31 December 2024 the Standard Group’s largest shareholder was S.N.G Holdings Limited (Surrey, United Kingdom), with 69.03%. Trade World Kenya Limited held 10.90% and Miller Trustees Limited 10.53%, its 2024 annual report shows.
The report does not name the people behind S.N.G Holdings. The Standard Group added three independent directors on 15 October 2026, its filing shows.
Chaacha Mwita became chief executive on 1 April 2026, a Standard Group filing shows. Kenyans.co.ke reported on 16 October 2026 that he will leave on 1 November, with no successor named.
Royal Media Services names its founder, Dr S.K. Macharia, but no public shareholder list for it was found. Lists for Mediamax and Radio Africa Group were not found either, so exact stakes cannot be confirmed.
The state owns KBC as a state corporation and shapes the wider sector through the regulator. RSF says the authorities can influence media appointments and the regulator’s leadership, which depends on government in practice.
Who Regulates the Media
The Communications Authority of Kenya is the regulatory authority for the information and communications sector, its website says. David Mugonyi is director general, and Charles Karondo chairs a board that includes three government principal secretaries.
The Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy sets policy under Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo. Stephen Isaboke is principal secretary for broadcasting and telecommunications.
The Media Council of Kenya (MCK) was created by the Media Council Act, which gives effect to Article 34 of the Constitution. It accredits journalists and sets media standards, while the Act also created a separate Complaints Commission.
The Code of Conduct for Media Practice, 2025 in the Act covers accuracy, privacy, hate speech and the use of artificial intelligence. David Omwoyo is MCK’s chief executive, and its website says a Media Council Bill went to public participation in October 2026.
Press Freedom and the Courts
RSF ranks Kenya 106th of 180 countries in 2026 with a score of 50.51, up from 117th and 49.41 in 2025. Its weakest indicator is economic, where Kenya ranks 133rd with 34.40 points.
Kenya ranks 107th on politics, 103rd on the legal framework, 104th on security and 95th on the social context. RSF’s barometer showed no journalists killed in 2026 and none detained as of 16 October 2026.
Police attacked or obstructed four journalists covering demonstrations in eastern Nairobi on Wednesday, 5 March 2025, RSF says. It calls arbitrary arrests and police violence against reporters common, especially during anti-government protests.
On Wednesday, 25 June 2025, CA Director General David Mugonyi ordered TV and radio stations to stop live protest coverage. His directive cited Articles 33(2) and 34(1) of the Constitution and threatened licence revocation and suspension of transmission.
NTV, Citizen TV and K24 said their signals were cut after CA officials allegedly accessed transmission equipment in Limuru. The Law Society of Kenya (LSK), the lawyers’ body, went to the High Court the same day, Capital FM reported.
Justice Chacha Mwita issued a conservatory order that day suspending the directive and ordering any switched-off signals restored immediately. He warned that disobedience would bring penal consequences.
In a judgment reported on Thursday, 27 November 2025, Justice John Chigiti quashed the directive and barred the CA from implementing it. The Katiba Institute, a rights group, had argued the CA acted outside its mandate and restricted press freedom unlawfully.
The pressure continued in 2026. RSF says at least eight journalists were assaulted covering an opposition rally in Homa Bay on Sunday, 16 August 2026.
Media vehicles were also vandalised, and police said they arrested 37 suspected gang members. RSF warned that such hostility, less than a year before the vote, is incompatible with a free election.
On Wednesday, 2 September 2026, MCK said armed people abducted Standard Group associate editor Alex Kiprotich the night before. He was taken on the Gilgil-Nakuru road and left in Machakos, and police said Inspector General Douglas Kanja ordered an inquiry.
Police denied any role, Citizen Digital reported, and MCK said no one was arrested after an earlier attempt in Nakuru County. RSF says electoral campaigns often bring sharp rises in abuses against journalists, and perpetrators usually go unpunished.
The Cybercrimes Act and Online Speech
The Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act of 2018 is the main law used against online speech. Section 23 punishes knowingly publishing false information that causes panic, chaos or violence, with up to ten years in prison.
Under the text in force until 3 November 2025, the Section 23 fine is up to KES 5 million (about US$38,500). Section 22 carries up to two years, and Section 27 on cyber harassment fines up to KES 20 million (about US$154,000).
RSF says about twenty laws regulating journalism in Kenya contain provisions that challenge press freedom. It cites the 2018 Act’s prison terms of up to ten years for spreading fake news likely to incite violence.
The 2025 amendment to the Act drew challenges from activists who said it could silence critics, journalists and bloggers. On 22 October 2025 a judge suspended several provisions in a case by activist Reuben Kigame and the Kenya Human Rights Commission.
On Thursday, 2 July 2026, the High Court struck down parts of the 2025 amendment as unconstitutional, Capital FM reported. It voided a state committee’s power to order websites blocked without court approval, which the judge said amounted to prior censorship.
The court also struck down part of the cyber harassment offence as vague and overly broad. It upheld the rest of the law and found that public participation had been sufficient.
A separate Supreme Court petition by media and rights groups targets the 2018 Act’s interception provisions, Kenyans.co.ke reported. Whether the state will appeal the July 2026 ruling is not known.
Social Media and the Phone Boom
The CA counted 87,999,998 mobile SIM subscriptions and 54,925,257 mobile broadband subscriptions at 30 June 2026. SIM cards are not people, since one person can hold several.
Smartphones numbered 52,262,565 against 27,420,856 feature phones, and mobile money subscriptions reached 54,005,800. The CA’s population base is 53.3 million, taken from the Economic Survey 2026.
DataReportal counted 23.4 million internet users in Kenya at the end of 2025, or 40.5% of the population. It counted 18.4 million social media user identities, equal to 31.8%.
Advertising tools reached 18.4 million adults on TikTok, 17.0 million on Facebook and 12.1 million on YouTube in late 2025. Instagram reached 3.95 million and X 2.09 million, though these are advertising estimates, not counts of active users.
WhatsApp has no official Kenyan user count in the sources reviewed. The Digital News Report 2026 nonetheless calls it influential for circulating political information and mobilisation.
X is where creators have a visible political influence, the same report says, despite its small user base. TikTok and YouTube are central entry points for younger audiences.
US platform companies are directly affected, because the 2025 amendment’s blocking power would have let a state committee restrict apps and websites. The July 2026 judgment removed that power for now.
What It Means for US Readers
Investors in Meta and Alphabet should note that a Kenyan court voided a power to block sites without court approval. An appeal or a new law could revive that risk before the August 2027 election.
Travelers and business visitors should follow several outlets across ownership camps, such as Citizen Digital, Nation.Africa, The Standard and The Star. NMG has a new controlling owner, so readers should watch for any change in its coverage.
Journalists and researchers working in Kenya may need accreditation from MCK, which accredits journalists and foreign journalists under the Media Council Act. Legal advice before publishing allegations is prudent given the cybercrimes law.
Visitors can find practical advice in the Rio Times Nairobi city guide and wider coverage on the Kenya news hub. Related explainers cover Kenya security and crime, Kenya politics and key players, Kenya culture and Kenya natural resources.
Conversions in this guide use the open.er-api.com rate of 129.73 Kenyan shillings per US$1 on 15 October 2026. Amounts from earlier years are converted at that rate for comparison only.
What Is Not Known
Audited circulation and audience figures for most Kenyan newspapers, channels and sites are not published in one reliable public source. Market shares by company can therefore only be estimated.
The owners behind S.N.G Holdings and exact stakes in Royal Media Services, Mediamax and Radio Africa could not be confirmed. The price of the NMG sale, its regulatory approvals, any minority offer and any editorial change are also not known.
Standard Group’s 2025 results and a reported 1 November chief executive exit were not on its investor page on 16 October 2026. Which of its TV channels remain on air is unclear.
The contents of the Media Council Bill and any appeal against the 2025 and 2026 court rulings are not known. It is not known who abducted Alex Kiprotich or whether anyone will be charged.
No official count of WhatsApp users in Kenya was found. DataReportal and the Communications Authority also use different population bases, 57.8 million and 53.3 million.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the main newspapers in Kenya?
Nation Media Group publishes the Daily Nation, Taifa Leo and Business Daily, and Standard Group publishes The Standard. The Star is part of Radio Africa Group, and RSF says the Daily Nation is the most-read of four dailies.
Who owns Nation Media Group?
The Aga Khan Fund agreed on 10 March 2026 to sell its 54.08% stake to Taarifa Ltd, owned by Rostam Azizi. NMG is listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange, and the sale would end 66 years of Aga Khan ownership.
Which TV channels are most watched in Kenya?
RSF names Citizen TV, owned by Royal Media Services, among the most popular channels. A 2025 survey of online news users found it reached 68% weekly, but the sample is not representative.
How free is the press in Kenya?
Kenya ranks 106th of 180 countries in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, up from 117th in 2025. RSF says police violence and self-censorship remain problems, especially around protests and elections.
What happened to Kenyan TV stations during the June 2025 protests?
The Communications Authority ordered stations on 25 June 2025 to stop live protest coverage, and three channels said signals were cut. The High Court suspended the order that day and quashed it in November 2025.
Which social media platforms are biggest in Kenya?
In late 2025 advertising tools reached 18.4 million adults on TikTok, 17.0 million on Facebook and 12.1 million on YouTube. DataReportal gives these as advertising estimates, and WhatsApp has no official Kenyan user count.
Who regulates the media in Kenya?
The Communications Authority licenses broadcasters and regulates telecoms, while the Media Council of Kenya accredits journalists and sets media standards. The Media Council Act also created a Complaints Commission.
Sources: Reporters Without Borders, Kenya country profile, 2026 index and barometer; RSF, Homa Bay attack on journalists (18 August 2026); Communications Authority of Kenya, Sector Statistics Report Q4 2025/26; Communications Authority, board of directors; Communications Authority, management committee; Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy, leadership; Media Council of Kenya, statement on the abduction (2 September 2026); Media Council of Kenya; Kenya Law, Media Council Act; Kenya Law, Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act (2018); Nation Media Group, audited results for 2025 (Nairobi Securities Exchange); Nation Media Group website; Nation Media Group, board of directors; Nairobi Securities Exchange, listed companies; Standard Group, annual report 2024; Standard Group, half-year results 2025; Standard Group, appointment of chief executive (1 April 2026); Standard Group, changes in the board (13 October 2026); Standard Group, about us; Royal Media Services; Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, about us; Aga Khan Development Network, media services; DataReportal, Digital 2026 Kenya; Reuters Institute, Digital News Report 2026 and 2025, Kenya; The Standard, Aga Khan Fund sale of NMG stake (10 March 2026); Kenyans.co.ke, NMG board changes (29 August 2026); Capital FM, High Court order on the CA directive (June 2025); The Star, High Court suspends broadcast ban (25 June 2025); Citizen Digital, High Court judgment on the directive (November 2025); Bloggers Association of Kenya, High Court suspends sections (October 2025); Capital FM, cybercrimes judgment (2 July 2026); The Star, cybercrimes judgment (2 July 2026); Kenyans.co.ke, cybercrimes judgment (2 July 2026); Citizen Digital, police statement on the abduction (2 September 2026); Radio Africa Group; Kenyans.co.ke, Standard Group chief executive notice (16 October 2026); Kenyans.co.ke, Mediamax stations (2021); Rio Times Kenya explainers (all accessed 16 October 2026).