Radio listenership in Kenya continues to show remarkable resilience, particularly within the country’s regional hubs. Latest data for the second quarter of the 2025/26 financial year, covering October to December 2025, reveals that the Lower Eastern region leads the nation in engagement.
Boasting a staggering 83 per cent listenership rate, the region’s airwaves are powered largely by audiences in Machakos, Kitui, and Makueni counties.
Close behind is the Lake Region, where 82 per cent of the population tunes in. This vast listening block encompasses Kisumu, Siaya, Homa Bay, Migori, Busia, Kisii, and Nyamira counties.
The Rift and Western regions follow closely, both maintaining a robust 81 per cent listenership, while South Nyanza rounds out the top five at 80 per cent. These figures underscore the medium's critical role as a primary source of information outside the capital.
Content preferences among Kenyan listeners lean heavily toward informative programming. News and current affairs are the primary drivers of consumption, accounting for 43.12 per cent of total listenership. This appetite for information significantly outpaces other genres, with entertainment and talk shows following at 25.11 per cent.
The findings, released in January 2026 by the Communications Authority of Kenya, highlight a media landscape where traditional broadcasting remains deeply embedded in the daily lives of citizens.
In an era of digital transition, the high engagement levels in the Lower Eastern and Lake regions demonstrate that for tens of millions of Kenyans, the radio set remains the most trusted and accessible window to the world.
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