When we began Radio 254, many media practioners advised us to stay clear from politics. We were told not to pick any sides and to remain neutral at all times. This was in late 2021 and early 2022, just before the August 2022 elections. Just before the 2022 elections, we decided to interview presidential candidates, and it was then that during an interview with Prof Wajakoyah that we had over 60,000 people tune in to listen to the interview. Our audience who is people aged 18-36 wanted to hear an interview with a politician. So it was confusing. On one hand, we are to stay clear of politics and on the other hand, our audience clearly wants to hear from politicians and enjoy political discourse.
If you ask a child growing up in Kenya what they want to be when they grow up, many are likely to say politician. In Kenya, politicians are rich, drive big cars and what many aspire to be. So as a media company, how do you handle politics without picking sides? Without bias.
After the finance bill protests, a new Kenya was born. A Kenya where the youth were no longer silently watching politicians but actively speaking out and engaged. Kenyans have realized that politics is something that affects their lives and they want to be part of the conversation and to participate in elections.
As a media organization, we do not support any specific candidate. We however cannot remain silent and shy away from the topic of politics simply because it is bad for business. We aim to engage in political debates, analyze the country’s political landscape, and conduct interviews with politicians. We in no way however want to influence our audience to vote for any specific candidate. We do however want to hear the opinions of our audience and speak up for the human rights of all Kenyans. We believe in Kenya and want it to grow. We love the new Kenya that was born and support the idea of a tribeless Kenya. Politicians come and go, but Kenya remains. Even after the elections, Radio TV 254 will still be here. Politics is not something that we stay silent about, it is something we must stay informed about and report on. As the 2027 elections nears, we hope to remain unbiased while informing our audience.
