In 2024 the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) made a big move and revoked 75 licenses held by various broadcasters for breaching their licenses. This was communicated through two Kenya Gazette notices in April and November 2024. This affected TV and FM broadcasters, a signal distributor and a subscription management service.
Background and Regulatory Mandate
Under Kenyan law the CA has the mandate to issue licenses for broadcasting services that require frequency allocation (TV and radio stations) and those that don’t (cable TV and subscription management services). This is to ensure broadcasters operate within the set guidelines and if they don’t their licenses can be revoked.
The April revocation saw the highest number of broadcasters affected with 56 licenses revoked. 19 licenses were revoked in November. The main reason was non-compliance with licensing requirements but some broadcasters opted to terminate their services voluntarily.
April 2024 License Revocations
56 licenses were revoked in April 2024. Below is a summary of the affected broadcasters:
| ID | Licensee Name | Service | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zanira Company Ltd | Mwaria TV | Non-compliance |
| 2 | BClimax Africa Limited | Miracles TV | Non-compliance |
| 3 | Christian Broadcasting Network Ltd | Magodo TV | Non-compliance |
| 4 | Parallel Media Ltd | Mugumo TV | Non-compliance |
| 5 | Petanns Driving School and Computer College Ltd | Murata TV | Non-compliance |
| 6 | Pwani Media Group Ltd | Pwani TV | Non-compliance |
| 7 | Rescue Media Group Services Ltd | Rescue TV | Non-compliance |
| 8 | Sauti ya Mwananchi Radio & Television Network | Sauti TV | Non-compliance |
| 9 | Himilo TV Company Ltd | RTN TV | Non-compliance |
| 10 | Lamu Youth Alliance | Lamu Youth TV | Non-compliance |
The list also includes other notable broadcasters such as Madgoat Television Ltd, NEP Media Services Ltd and Kwese TV Kenya Ltd. The revoked broadcasters were mostly non-compliant.
November 2024 License Revocations
In November 19 licenses were revoked. Unlike the April batch which was mostly non-compliance, several November terminations were initiated by the broadcasters themselves. Below are the key cases:
| ID | Licensee Name | Service | Reason |
| 1 | Sky Group Limited | Sky 106.1 FM | Non-compliance |
| 2 | Truckside Advertising Limited | Njata FM | Non-compliance |
| 3 | Truckside Advertising Limited | Njata TV | Non-compliance |
| 4 | Chonjo Products Limited | Kihooto FM | Non-compliance |
| 5 | Life Point Media Limited | Radio Ashe | Licensee request to terminate |
| 6 | Switch TV Limited | Switch TV | Licensee request to terminate |
| 7 | Lancia Digital Broadcast Limited | Bamba TV | Licensee request to terminate |
| 8 | Econet Media Limited | Kwese TV Landing Rights | Licensee request to terminate |
| 9 | Innova Media Limited | Kiss TV | Licensee request to terminate |
Notably Econet Media (K) Ltd operating as a Subscription Management Service and Switch TV were among those who voluntarily ceased operations. This group also included KUSCCO FM, Tusmo FM and Radio Ashe.
Industry Impact
As of November 29, 2024 there were 672 licensed broadcasters in Kenya. 75 licenses revoked shows CA’s commitment to enforcing compliance in the broadcasting sector. This is to professionalize, ensure adherence to standards and protect the media landscape in Kenya.
But the impact on the broadcasting ecosystem cannot be ignored. Several areas served by these broadcasters will have reduced media coverage and potentially affect information dissemination and local content production.