Kenya - Media

The Ministry of Transport and Communications is responsible for telecommunications. There were 310,000 mainline telephones and 540,000 cellular phones in use in 2001. The Voice of Kenya, broadcasting in English, Swahili, and local languages, operates one radio station and one television channel. In 1990, Channel 62, an independently owned television station, made its debut. As of 2001, there were 24 AM and 18 FM radio stations. There were 8 television stations in 2002. In 2000 Kenya had 223 radios and 25 television sets for every 1,000 people. In 2001, there were five Internet service providers serving 250,000 subscribers.

In 2002, there were five major daily newspapers, all published in Nairobi. The Daily Nation , an independent paper founded in 1960, had a daily circulation of 170,000. The Standard (circulation 70,000) has ties to the KANU party. The other dailies include: Taifa Leo , a Swahili newspaper, circulation 57,000; the Kenya Times, associated with KANU, 52,000; and the Kenya Leo, (in Swahili, 40,000 in 1995). While there is no formal censorship, the press is sometimes subject to harassment from public officials who have been treated unfavorably.