Amani FM is a community radio station based in Garsen town, Tana River County. It is run by Amani Centre, a Community Based Organization that provides space for various ICT focused peace building and community empowerment initiatives. The community radio complements and gives synergy to these initiatives. Amani FM was launched in July, 2017. It is run by a team of local volunteers and Una Hakika project. The radio covers a radius of 70km within Tana Delta Sub-county and its environs, some parts of Lamu and Kilifi Counties, an area with an estimated population of 180,000 residents.
- Frequency: 88.1 FM
- Geographical reach: 70 KM Radius
- Language/s of broadcast: Kiswahili,
- Broadcast duration: 16 hours
- Location: Garsen town, Tana River County
- Estimated audience: 180,000 listeners
- Contact Person: John Green, Station Manager
The establishment of Amani was driven by the need to have alternative means of information to many people in the local community faced by high levels of illiteracy and widespread poverty. Low levels of internet usage and written media were less than ideal channels of information to the community. Besides, only the national broadcaster was available which was not focused on the needs of the community. The community did not have any information outlet to inform them on what was happening around them.
Amani FM, the first community radio on the Tana Delta came to fill this information gap. The radio was established through collaboration with The Sentinel Project for Genocide Prevention Canada that runs Una Hakika initiative (an SMS based misinformation management platform), Health Communication Resources, a UK-based organization, and Amani Centre, the local CBO. These organizations recognized the complementary strengths of radio, with its broad reach, and SMS, with its interactivity and targeted messaging, to bridge the information gap in Tana Delta. Launched just weeks before Kenya’s general election on August 8, Amani FM contributed to a peaceful election throughout Tana River County by keeping residents informed about relevant events, dispelling rumors, reminding everyone of the importance of peace, and encouraging patience as voters waited for the election results to be announced.
The radio station endeavors to empower community and its target audience through the production and broadcast of high-quality and interactive radio programs focused on peace building, community and national development.
