The Kenyan media landscape is evolving, as new data show that audiences are steadily moving away from traditional television, turning to social media for news.
According to the State of the Media Report by the Media Council of Kenya (MCK), social media has overtaken television and radio as the leading source of news.
The shift towards digital platforms is driven by mobile-first access, real-time updates, and changing audience behavior.
This trend highlights how Kenyans are relying on online ecosystems to access and share information.
Social Media Leads as Traditional Media Loses Ground
According to the report, Social media has emerged as the leading source of news in Kenya, rising from 37% in 2024 to 39% in 2025.
Television has remained at 31% in both 2024 and 2025, indicating limited growth compared to digital channels.
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Radio continues its downward trend, dropping from 26% to 21%, while print media remains marginal at just 1% in both years.
Other sources, such as family, friends, and colleagues, account for 3–4%, while online news websites remain at 2–3%,
WhatsApp continues to lead, though it declined slightly from 20.3% in 2024 to 19.8% in 2025.
Facebook follows closely, dropping from 19.6% to 18.2%, yet both platforms remain dominant channels for news distribution and sharing.
Video-based platforms are gaining traction, with TikTok rising from 14.4% to 14.9% and YouTube increasing from 11.9% to 12.3%.
Instagram also recorded a slight rise from 8.1% to 8.3%, while X declined from 7.6% to 7.3%.
Messaging and niche platforms show gradual diversification, with Messenger, Telegram, Snapchat, LinkedIn, podcasts, and blogs collectively contributing smaller but evolving shares of engagement.
| Source | 2024 | 2025 |
| Social media | 37% | 39% |
| Television | 31% | 31% |
| Radio | 26% | 21% |
| Family/Friends/Colleagues | 3% | 4% |
| Online news websites | 2% | 3% |
| Newspapers | 1% | 1% |
Most Visited Websites for News in 2025
In the online news space, Tuko.co.ke led with a 33% share of traffic, driven by its aggressive mobile-first approach and high-volume, shareable content strategy.
Citizen Digital follows at 20%, making it the most successful transition from traditional media to digital platforms.
Standardmedia.co.ke has been ranked third with 14%, while Nation Africa records 10%, reflecting a more credibility-driven but lower-traffic audience base.
| Platform | Share |
| Tuko.co.ke | 33% |
| Citizen Digital | 20% |
| Standardmedia.co.ke | 14% |
| Nation Africa | 10% |
Television Audience Fragments as Citizen TV Retains Dominance
Despite the digital shift, television remains relevant, with Citizen TV maintaining a strong lead.
In 2025, it holds an 82% reach, up from 75% in 2024, reinforcing its position as the most-watched station in Kenya.
In 2025, NTV recorded 55%, KTN Home 41%, K24 30%, KBC 25%, TV47 25%, and Inooro TV declined to 15%.
In 2024, Citizen TV led with 75%, followed by NTV at 41%, K24 at 31%, KTN Home at 28%, and Inooro TV at 17%, indicating a progressively competitive but fragmented television landscape.
| Station | 2024 | 2025 |
| Citizen TV | 75% | 82% |
| NTV | 41% | 55% |
| KTN Home | 28% | 41% |
| K24 | 31% | 30% |
| KBC | — | 25% |
| TV47 | — | 25% |
| Inooro TV | 17% | 13% |
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Radio Stations Dominace in Kenya Marketing Position
Current Radio Maisha holds the position of the top-tier Kenyan radio due to its broad demographic appeal and multi- regional reach.
However, despite the position, Radio Citizen still maintains a public opinion influence of 6%, slightly above the 5% influence of Radio Maisha.
Additionally, Radio Citizen maintains the lead in the audience share with 17% reach, followed by Radio Jambo, which has an audience share of 14%, and in the third position is Radio Maisha with 12% audience share.
According to the survey, over 55% of respondents listen to radio stations between 6:00 a.m and 10:00 a.m, with a smaller evening audience peak of about 36% listening in the evening.
With the Radio Maisha, Radio Jambo, and Radio Citizen being in the top tier, Classic 105 and Kiss 100 are in the base tier as they act as urban lifestyle hubs.
Stations like Kameme FM, Inooro FM, and Kass FM have high audience reach in the middle tier, maintaining their position as vernacular outlets.
