Facebook, WhatsApp dominate Kenya's social media landscape

Source: Capital FM Kenya
Author: Wangechi Purity

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 22 - Facebook and WhatsApp stand out as the top social media platforms used in Kenya, with YouTube and TikTok following closely in popularity.

According to an audience measurement and industry trends report released by the Communication Authority of Kenya (CA), the prevalence of Facebook and WhatsApp in social media highlights their extensive adoption and influential presence in the Kenyan digital landscape.

"Facebook and WhatsApp stand out as the top social media platforms in Kenya. Following closely in popularity, YouTube and TikTok secure the third and fourth positions," CA stated.

The report showed that both Facebook and WhatsApp topped the list of social media platforms used, with Facebook leading with 45.2 percent, 47.4 percent, and 49.4 percent, respectively, in the Q1, Q2, and Q3 periods of 2023-24.

WhatsApp emerged as the second-top social media platform with 45.9 percent, 47.3 percent, and 47 percent, respectively, in all three quarters of the 2023-2024 period.

YouTube was ranked third, registering 18.9 percent, 21 percent, and 29.5 percent of users, respectively, in the same period, followed by Tiktok with 19.3 percent, 17.8 percent, and 23 percent.

Other social media platforms in the digital landscape that were enlisted by the authority due to their influential presence were Instagram, Twitter, Google, Chrome and Telegram.

Among the others listed were email, Snapchat, and LinkedIn social media platforms.

The survey also indicated that across the three quarters, the prevailing trend in media consumption was the blending of multiple platforms, including radio, television, and online mediums.

This integrated consumption pattern accounted for 24 percent of total media consumption during the third quarter of the fiscal year 2023-24.

"This observation suggests that a significant segment of the population is concurrently engaging with various forms of media, encompassing radio broadcasts, television programming, and the numerous content available online," the Authority noted.

In media consumption, males dominate in radio listenership, television viewership, newspaper readership, and online usage as compared to their female counterparts.

Swahili was the language most of the radio stations tuned into, followed by vernacular across male and female listeners.

"Even though Swahili stations are the most tuned-in stations, there is higher usage of English stations in urban areas compared to rural areas. This was observed from Q1 2023/24 to Q3 2023/24," the authority noted.

Swahili radio stations recorded higher listenership in the western and coastal regions, while the listenership of vernacular stations was highest in the lake and central regions.