Reviving Wajir’s Community Voice.

“As usual, I left my house at eight in the morning for work when I received a frantic call from one of our journalists. What I heard left me shocked and confused—the radio station was on fire. This was not just a building going up in flames; it was a lifeline for our community, a beacon of hope and information that had suddenly gone quiet.”

Investing in community journalism is not just about supporting a media outlet, it is about investing in the community itself. It means ensuring that every story, voice, and issue that matters to the local populace is heard and addressed. So, after years in Nairobi’s media scene, Halima Kahiya—the CEO of Wajir Community Radio Station—returned to her roots to do exactly that.

Her journey from freelancing for mainstream media organisations in Nairobi as a videographer, editor and writer, to becoming the CEO of Wajir Community Radio Station, is one of resilience and dedication. Halima is from Wajir, a county whose natives and residents make up the over nine million Kenyan pastoralist community. Growing up in a remote rural community presented many challenges but ironically it was this very environment that shaped her life’s path.

Isolated by Nature’s Fury

“It is May 1997 that a climatic anomaly—the El Niño—ravaged the world. I doubt you were born by then,” she teases and laughs. El Niño is a climate pattern originating in the Pacific Ocean along the equator and impacts weather globally. Once it begins, it can last from twelve to eighteen months, and sometimes as long as two years.

She was in high school then, regardless of the years passed, the memory of living through it is very much etched in her mind. “When the rains began, we assumed they would subside after a few days or weeks, but they lasted until February 1998. For about ten months, extraordinary heavy rainfall caused widespread landslides, floods, displacement and death in various parts of Kenya.” According to statistics by UNDRR, it was so intense that some scientists have labelled it the ‘El Niño of the Century.’

The whole country was in distress, with Wajir fairing no better. We were equally in need of aid, but the geographical distance between our county and Nairobi, coupled with the underdeveloped infrastructure, made the roads impassable. “For three months, we went without sufficient food or aid. These were desperately needed at the time because no sooner had the flood come, there was an outbreak of an infectious waterborne disease that claimed the lives of many in the community—people and animals alike.”

The plight they were going through, however, was not making it to the outside world. “Even journalists were not coming to highlight the plight of the people in northern Kenya,” she says.

Witnessing this made it quite apparent how excluded from mainstream they were as a community. “It made me study and pursue a career in journalism—this was after pursuing a course in nursing and then forsaking it for an occupation that was not only a career choice but a calling.”

Tackling Wajir’s Illiteracy

According to statistics from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, Wajir has a staggering 82% illiteracy rate, indicating that most residents lack formal education. “As nomadic pastoralists, our community has a very mobile lifestyle. The search for water and pasture sometimes separates these pastoralists from their communities for months as they travel great distances with their livestock. This is a challenge to conventional schooling and a hindrance to their access to information because most of them do not have a place they would consider a permanent home.”

In such a county, there is a big gap in information sharing. Thus, community journalism through radio becomes an essential and effective information tool, especially for these communities with low literacy levels and no proper alternatives to vital information.

“This radio station was started when no other vernacular station was around. It was a request from the people to the World Bank. During their monitoring and evaluation, the World Bank was funding the county to support the establishment of resilient projects. Through their interaction with the community, they realized that a majority of the community was unaware of the development projects from which they should be benefiting,” she reveals. “When asked why, they said they could not follow news from mainstream media platforms as most of it was shared and broadcasted in languages they struggle to comprehend.”

Most of the community here does not understand Swahili or English, demonstrating why many never know what is happening in the country or any development initiatives in their county. “We now even organize public forums on the radio station to involve the community in the county budget-making process and to inform the public about any ongoing budget-making forum so that they can participate.

The first signal went on air on the 17th of March 2010, something she remembers quite vividly. She was then the deputy CEO, up until she climbed up the rank to become the CEO in 2012

Defying Tradition

There is a Somali proverb that says, “Women have no tribe” from which derives the unspoken rule that women cannot represent their clans and tribes in Wajir County in any matter. For clan elders and the community, a less educated man is preferable to lead over an educated woman. With such a culture, she had to ‘slay many dragons’; those who would oppose and undermine her authority in her new position.

But the biggest challenge she has had to overcome and is still trying to recover from happened on the 16th of March, 2024. “As usual, I left my house at eight in the morning for work when I received a frantic call from one of our journalists. What I heard left me shocked and confused—the radio station was on fire. This was not just a building engulfed in flames; it was a lifeline for our community, a beacon of hope and information that had suddenly gone quiet. Sadly, the firefighters came a minute too late; everything had gone up in flames. We did not even save a single microphone.”

It has now been a year and a few months. She thanks some supporting partners like Forum CIV and Centre for behavior change communication, who were quite supportive in their efforts to reinstate the radio station. “We were back on air within a week. The community’s feedback and support when the station was off-air for a week also underscored our role as a vital source of information and support”.

Turning a challenging situation into a positive one, they saw an opportunity to transition to renewable energy. Wajir town Is one of the fastest-growing areas in the country experiencing a growth of over 30% in the past 3-4 years. However, this rapid expansion has increased the demand for reliable electricity. Despite this need, the town still relies on outdated diesel generators that produce less than 10MW and frequently encounter mechanical issues. “When an engine breaks down, rationing becomes necessary, significantly impacting residents, businesses, and even hospitals”.

“Our studio now operates on solar energy. Given that Wajir is the fifth hottest county in Kenya, with an annual average temperature of 27.9°C, we harness sunlight during the day and rely on battery-stored energy at night. This shift has been a win for us, eliminating electricity bills and to some extent previous power challenges. “Our ability to broadcast vital information and engage the public hinges on the reliability of power supply. Our desire is to achieve 24-hour operation at our transmission site, so we need to upgrade to high-quality solar batteries with longer storage capacity”, she says.

She is therefore requesting support to upgrade the solar batteries at the transmission site in order to maintain uninterrupted service and for ensuring that they can continue to serve the community effectively.

“Your support will enable us to keep our community well-informed and actively involved in the important matters that affect us all”., she concludes.

Halima Kahiya received a Head of State Commendation as a human rights defender by President William Samoei Ruto on 20th October 2023, Mashujaa day.

Edited by Pius Okore.