Kenya Community Media Network Champions Peace and Sustainability with ‘Community Learning Program’ Approach.
This year, the Kenya Community Media Network (KCOMNET) has introduced a pioneering initiative called the Community Learning Program (CLP) across all its projects. This program is designed to bolster the capacity of community radio stations, ensuring their sustainability amid the evolving media landscape. Central to this initiative is the mission to enhance the role of community radios in promoting participatory social development.
Unlike mainstream media, community radios have a unique mission: to improve the quality of life within their communities while fostering active participation. This involves community members contributing to content creation, engaging in outreach activities, actively listening, and providing feedback on programs. Consequently, community radio becomes more than a mere source of information—it empowers individuals by giving them a voice and nurturing a deep, enduring connection between the station and its audience.
KCOMNET is currently executing a project titled “Fostering Peaceful Communities through Community-Centered Conflict Transformation and Media Viability,” in partnership with GIZ Kenya. This initiative focuses on three community radio stations in Turkana County: Ref FM, Atta Nayece, and Echami Radio. These stations play a crucial role by directly engaging with both refugees and host communities in the region. The project employs the CLP approach to promote peace, celebrate cultural diversity, and advance conflict resolution.
The initiative recently launched its first major activity—a Joint Project Design Workshop. This workshop convened journalists from the three community radio stations, members of their audience (including both refugees and host communities), state officials, and representatives from NGOs working with these groups. During the workshop, participants identified key conflict issues impacting Turkana residents, including clashes within refugee camps, resource-based conflicts, border disputes, and gender-based violence.
The workshop also led to the formation of a Project Design Team (PDT) composed of journalists and community members. This team is tasked with reviewing and approving the content produced by the journalists before it is broadcast. Their role ensures that the content reflects the community’s needs and concerns, making broadcasts more impactful. Additionally, the PDT will work to engage community members in tuning into radio programs and will collectively review the impact of the broadcasts at the end of the project.
As the project progresses, each participating radio station will host a Community Dialogue Forum—a town hall-style meeting that will bring together at least 50 people to discuss the conflict issues identified during the Project Design Workshop. These forums will provide a platform for community members to share their perspectives and propose solutions. The discussions will be broadcast live by the radio stations, and key insights will be used to craft peace messages. Journalists and PDT members will collaborate to develop and vet these messages, which will be broadcast over a two-month period. The PDT will also encourage community engagement through calls, texts, and social media. After two months, journalists, listeners, and PDT members will reconvene to assess the impact of the broadcasts.
The project also emphasizes media viability, a critical concern heightened by the impact of COVID-19 on the media sector. The pandemic has left many media institutions struggling with financial sustainability, including community radio stations. The three stations in Turkana face significant challenges due to over-reliance on advertising and NGO funding. KCOMNET is addressing this by training the stations in diversifying their income streams, exploring creative funding avenues, and leveraging emerging technologies to enhance financial stability.
With a focus on conflict resolution, cultural celebration, and community engagement, the project is a powerful tool for building peaceful, sustainable communities. Through the CLP approach, KCOMNET is not only fortifying community radios but also empowering them to become agents of change within their communities.
Story by Doreen Mwasi.