Vihiga County set to launch FM radio station

Vihiga Governor Moses Akaranga displaying a copy of Vihiga Star a weekly county newspaper. The county now plans to launch a local FM radio station. PHOTO/ISAAC WALE

What you need to know:

  • The county last week advertised nine positions in its radio station, Vihiga FM, which is yet to be launched.

  • Vihiga is currently selecting bidders to set up the radio station at the county headquarters.

  • The county’s Director of Communication Peter Atsiaya said the station will, on top of entertaining residents, inform, and educate them.

  • The county government has however not revealed the cost to be incurred in setting up the radio station.

Vihiga County has joined Nairobi in plans to launch a local radio station.

The county last week advertised nine positions in its radio station, Vihiga FM, which is yet to be launched.

In May, Nairobi County announced it would start an FM station in the coming financial year.

The FM station will supplement a bi-weekly publication, Vihiga Star.

Governor Moses Akaranga said the media outlets will help residents make good decisions.

“An enlightened society will be in a good position to make informed choices. This will also enhance information flow within the county,” he said.

Among the advertised positions are those of producers, presenters and reporters.

Vihiga is currently selecting bidders to set up the radio station at the county headquarters.

The county government has however not revealed the cost to be incurred in setting up the radio station.

The county’s Director of Communication Peter Atsiaya said the station will, on top of entertaining residents, inform, and educate them.

“The station will keep people in touch with the county’s administration as it opens them up to new technological developments. It will also open up the county as it will help woo interested development partners to come and invest in Vihigha,” Mr Atsiaya said.

Mr Atsiaya will also serve as the station’s manager as he runs the governor’s press service.

COUNTY WEBSITES

County governments have also been using websites to reach out to the public.

Analysts however say that the potential of the websites has not been fully exploited.

Mr Chris Owera, project manager with Nairobi-based AdNet Communications, said that an analysis of county websites revealed that most of them were hardly updated and that their content was not convincing enough.

He said the only way that devolved units can prove to foreign investors that they were working effectively was by keeping their websites relevant.

“After you present a proposal to an investor, part of the information they need to make a decision on will be on your website. So it pays to have a website that reflects how you want to be perceived,” he said.

Dr Charles Nyambuga, the chairman of the Communications and Media Department of Maseno University, said a website is the face of a county and should thus be well-managed at all times.

“A website’s progress is similar to the progress of a county government. If the site is static, it may create the impression that nothing much happens in the particular county,” Dr Nyambuga said.