Mandera County waiting nod from Communications Authority to launch radio station
Mandera County officials, among them Governor Ali Roba, visit a building that is expected to house the county government's radio station. PHOTO | LUCAS BARASA | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Governor Ali Roba said the station will keep residents informed in a bid to fight marginalisation.
- The radio station will allow public participation and provide information on weather forecast as locals are pastoralists.
The Mandera County government is set to establish its own FM radio station now that construction of a building to host it is complete.
The radio station is, however, yet to be licensed by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CAK).
Governor Ali Roba said the station would keep residents informed in a bid to fight marginalisation.
Speaking when he visited the building, Mr Roba said “the days when the people of Mandera would rely on FM stations from other counties are gone. Information is power and we are here to empower our people.”
The executive committee secretary for ICT, Abdiaziz Sheikh Maad, said the county had applied for a frequency from the CAK but was yet to get a response.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
“The contractor has already procured the mast and the transmitter but he is unable to do the installation,” Sheikh Maad said.
The radio station would allow public participation and provide information on weather forecasts as locals are pastoralists.
The radio station will also be used to disseminate news on outbreaks of livestock diseases when they occur and act as a platform for sharing information between the locals and the county government.
Sheikh Maad called on the CAK to hasten the processing of the license “for us to be able to meet the excitement of the people in having their own FM station for the first time.”
Currently, locals have access to only one vernacular station, Star FM, which is based in Nairobi.
