Radio Jambo is the leading radio station influencing public opinion in Kenya, driven by a combination of authoritative news coverage and highly engaging talk programmes, the 2025 State of the Media Survey Report by the Media Council of Kenya has shown.
The report highlights radio’s continued dominance in shaping discourse across the country, noting that influence on the airwaves is anchored on a blend of hard news bulletins and interactive morning talk shows that attract large audiences.
Radio Jambo tops the list of opinion shapers with a nine per cent influence score. It is followed by Kameme FM morning shows at seven per cent and Radio Citizen programmes at six per cent.
Other notable contributors include political talk shows and Radio Maisha shows, each accounting for five per cent of opinion influence.
According to the report, radio’s impact is largely fuelled by its accessibility and the immediacy of its content, particularly through flagship news bulletins and commentator-driven segments that resonate with listeners across diverse demographics.
The findings are based on a nationwide survey conducted between April 15 and April 23, targeting Kenyan residents aged 15 years and above.
Data was collected using Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI), ensuring accuracy and consistency in responses.
A total of 3,774 respondents were sampled using a multi-stage stratified design with Probability Proportional to Size (PPS), covering all 47 counties across the country’s eight regions.
The study recorded a margin of error of approximately ±1.7 per cent at a 95 per cent confidence level.
In November last year, Radio Jambo emerged as the most listened-to station in Nairobi, commanding the largest share of urban radio audiences, according to the Ipsos Kenya Audience Tracker (IKAT).
The survey showed that Radio Jambo attracted 7.3 per cent of the total 3,175,546 radio listeners, giving it the widest audience reach among urban stations.
However, its influence goes beyond reach, it also commands a 20.2 per cent share of total listening time out of 914,557,330 recorded listening minutes across all stations.
This means that while Radio Jambo reaches 7.3 per cent of listeners, its fans spend more time tuned in compared to other stations, making up about one-fifth of all radio listening time in the city.
The survey further revealed that six in 10 Nairobians tune in to Gidi na Ghost Asubuhi, the station’s flagship breakfast show, which has, over the years, grown into Radio Africa Group’s biggest brand show.
The duo’s mix of humour, audience interaction and real-life relationship stories continues to anchor the station’s dominance in morning listenership.
In their popular signature segment, Patanisho, Gidi and Ghost invite listeners to call in seeking reconciliation with estranged partners, relatives, or friends. The duo then act as mediators, contacting the other party live on air to facilitate a frank conversation.
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