AudiencScapes

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Unsurprisingly, radio is by far the most common source of general information about personal finance topics among Kenyans, word-of-mouth also plays a prominent role and should be integrated into any financial communication program. More specifically, word-of-mouth sources were dominated by friends and family members more than by financial experts such as bankers or financial advisors, raising issues of whether the types of word-of-mouth information received by most people is accurate and reliable.

There also appears to be scope for newer technologies to play a role in delivering that information, given that mobile phones are becoming widespread in Kenya and are a popular platform for financial services. For example, fewer than 10 percent of those surveyed said they had received information on a financial topic via mobile phone (that is, via SMS services)—even information about mobile financial services. Presumably, many mobile phone users would be reachable via SMS—though they may not be willing to pay for information to be delivered that way

Related Research Articles and Quantitative Reports:

Kenya: Word-of-Mouth Opinion Leaders and Financial Information Dissemination
The Mobile Money Revolution?
Information at the Grassroots in Kenya
Kenya: Communicating with Policymakers