AudiencScapes

Kenyan women have been at the forefront of some recent newsworthy ICT innovations such as iCow and M-Farm. Dinfin Mulupi covers their success stories and finds that their entrepreneurship might help open doors for disadvantaged women across Kenya. Read more….

Reject Magazine reports on topics and regions neglected by the
mainstream Kenyan press.  Recent awards recognize how the publication
fills a void in the country’s media landscape. More from Dinfin Mulupi.

Innovation in the mobile money sector is coming from non-telecom companies. Two new platforms launched this year in Kenya are experimenting with new e-commerce features for individuals and companies. Will the new services reduce the number of Kenya’s “unbanked” population? Dinfin Mulupi reports.

Remote parts of Kenya have trouble attracting professional teachers.
Some schools are using computers to compensate for the lack of human
instructors. Despite the obstacles digital learning brings with it, the
schools are pleased with the results. Dinfin Mulupi investigates

At a time when Kenya is struggling to feed its population following severe droughts, radio programs are educating listeners on better farming techniques in a bid to improve food security. Dinfin Mulupi reports.

Mobile number portability launched this month in Kenya. As the telecom industry worries about the impact on its bottom line, mobile subscribers should now have more choices than ever. AudienceScapes fellow Dinfin Mulupi reports.......

"21st Century Media: New Frontiers, New Barriers" will be the theme of this year's World Press Freedom Day May1-3 with a focus on the opportunities and challenges of the digital landscape. Here AudienceScapes analyst Dave Montez writes about how digital news media in Sub-Saharan Africa can look very different from how we normally think of it. As mobile technologies are playing a larger role in the African information environment, it is crucial that journalists, news outlets, and those that support them find innovative ways to integrate media platforms so that all citizens can access independent news media. This post appeared on the World Press Freedom Day 2011 website's blog.

In this issue of the AudienceScapes Field Blog, our fellows report on two very different approaches to improving government. In Zimbabwe, Tawanda Karombo describes a new campaign using social media to expose and confront corruption, whether committed by public officials or private citizens. Dinfin Mulupi reports on a Web-based platform that encourages Kenyans to post reports about how well the government is functioning. While both projects aim their resources at slightly different targets, the ultimate goal is to put pressure on governments to serve the public.

Holding government officials accountable is the goal of a new project that solicits citizen reports via mobile phone. Through this Web-based public forum the government’s performance will be scrutinized – and, the hope is – improved.

A political satire TV program, “The XYZ Show,” is gaining popularity for its unvarnished take on Kenya’s political figures. While its audience is growing, the program finds advertising dollars hard to come by. Dinfin Mulupi reports.