Kenyan podcasting has reached a critical tipping point in audience reach, engagement and visibility, and in doing so, it is reshaping the country’s media landscape, as Odipo Dev explains.
On February 22, 2025 the Mic Cheque Podcast announced on X that it would host Kasmuel McOure; a figure once celebrated as the face of Kenya’s GenZ-led protests against the Finance Bill. Many Kenyans now regard him as a turncoat and they swiftly raged against Mic Cheque for giving him a platform. It was a stark contrast to his appearances on any other TV shows in weeks prior. For us at Odipo Dev, that a podcast guest could stir such fury spoke to a curious shift; just a year ago, this would’ve been unthinkable. We believe it speaks to an emerging undercurrent within Kenya’s media landscape. The podcasters are rising.
Kenyan podcasting is entering its prime, reaching a critical tipping point in audience reach, engagement and agenda setting power. In the last three to five years, this nascent digital format has grown rapidly, attracting millions of deeply engaged listeners and hosting Kenya’s power players in politics and entertainment.
At Odipo Dev, we’ve long studied the fierce battle for control over the power center that is Kenyan media. Our first look into the digital disruption of Kenya’s media landscape began with the rise of influencers, a polarizing group of young Kenyans who built massive followings online through entertainment and lifestyle content. Then, with algorithm-driven platforms keeping users endlessly engaged, we looked at how young Kenyans today increasingly turn to digital spaces for all forms of content—including news. Our research showed how in the midst of the historic 2024 anti-tax protests, Gen Z overwhelmingly chose alternative media—digital news outlets, influencers, podcasters — to make sense of the chaos.
With this in mind, we have undertaken the first in-depth study on the popularity and audience power of podcasts in Kenya. We carried out a performance analysis of all videos posted by top Kenyan podcasters on YouTube and TikTok in the year 2024. We analyzed a sample of the top 50 podcasts (by viewership, YouTube – minimum 300K total annual views, TikTok -minimum 1 million total annual views). We further compared this data with the performance of mainstream media’s accounts on the same platforms over the same period.
We focused on YouTube, as it has become the go-to platform for podcast consumption in Kenya, and TikTok which has rapidly grown to become the leading social media platform in Kenya. We defined a podcast as a digital program—audio or video-based—available on the internet, typically released in episodic form and often structured as interviews, storytelling, commentary, or discussions. Episodes can be short (5–10 minutes) or long (up to 2 hours), and many podcasts now include video formats, especially on platforms like YouTube.
Below are our findings:
1. If you want your podcast to do well on YouTube you have to be famous already. Or have famous guests on it.
Kenya’s current podcast landscape within YouTube is dominated by those with an already established media presence. Our research reveals a clear pattern; most of them were already familiar faces, whether from TV (actors, anchors), radio or digital content creation (influencers). This gives them a head start, making it easier to build an audience. and directly challenges the popular belief that podcasting has a low barrier to entry. While hypothetically anyone with a camera, mic and internet connection can start a podcast, thriving at the top level often requires a foundation of prior work, reputation, and audience trust.
Unlike times past, the best non-fiction story tellers no longer need to negotiate with legacy media to get in front of the audience; but they can leverage it. The most successful podcasters in Kenya aren’t just creating captivating content, —they’re leveraging years of positioning in other forms of popular media or domain expertise. It is in industry notoriety where we see the most potential because of the ability of the host to differentiate themselves by touting their expertise and skin in the game.
2. Short form video on social (Tiktok, Instagram) is the main way most Kenyans consume podcasts.
Short-form video on platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels is the primary gateway for podcast discovery and engagement. Rather than tuning in to full episodes upfront, many users first, and often solely, encounter podcasts through bite-sized, visually engaging clips that highlight key moments or provocative soundbites. When comparing the views on TikTok versus YouTube in our sample, total views per channel were higher on Tiktok – 11m vs 15m. And this doesn’t account for fan-driven highlights shared organically on social media, which also garner significant views. These snippets are optimized for algorithms and scrolling habits, capturing attention quickly and offering high potential for virality. That said, this doesn’t diminish the value of these views versus long form viewership. Short-form content remains a powerful tool for building familiarity, trust, and community, allowing podcasters to connect with wider audiences, spark conversations, and create brand affinity that can lead to deeper engagement over time.
3. Young people, especially young men, are the number one consumer of podcasts.
Millions of young Kenyans are growing into adulthood and forming their political identities based not just on what they view on traditional media and social media but through dynamic niche mediums like podcasts as well. This is a stark departure to how their parents and elder siblings formed their political identities. Our research reveals that podcasting in Kenya has captured an overwhelmingly young, male audience; with males making up 71% of the listeners of the top 10 podcasts in our list – 65% when extended to the top 20. This audience is also predominantly young, with the 25-34 age bracket taking up the largest share.
This finding adds more gravitas to the unique positioning of podcasts to shape the worldview of this core demographic in Kenyan society. And importantly, they are doing it across a wide array of topics from social commentary, politics, current events, business, personal finance, parenting, spiritually to name a few.
What makes Podcasts so disruptive?
The very best podcasters hold space for their communities. They don’t have audiences, they have supporters.
Digital creators built their followings on connection. Our prior research has shown how creators offer a sense of informality and raw access, sharing morning routines, casual chats during errands, or unfiltered opinions in casual, in-home settings. As a result audiences didn’t just watch; they bonded. This wasn’t broadcasting, it was friendship, or at least something close. Audiences begin to feel less like passive viewers and more like personal acquaintances, forming what psychologists term parasocial relationships.
Podcasting has extended the model. What started as 30-second clips has become two-hour conversations. The same creators now invite followers to sit in, not scroll past. And in most cases, the sit-in is literal, on couches, in casual wear, surrounded by friends and microphones; not lights, stages and suits. It’s intimacy by design. And as we’ve shown, most podcasters aren’t new voices, they’re familiar influencers scaling up, swapping short-form intimacy for long-form loyalty.
Mwas, a host on the Mic Cheque Podcast, captures this intentional intimacy; “The relaxed format ensures authenticity takes centre stage as opposed to the guided and restricted formats we’ve seen on mass media over the years. It’s very intentional and the goal is to maintain open, honest and authentic dialogue. The only downside is there are definitely lines being crossed again and again but hopefully this creates more opportunities to continuously keep learning.”
So then what?
1. Mainstream media is taking notes and adjusting already
Starting with radio talk shows, Kenyan mainstream media has been adjusting to the podcast format. Stations like Spice FM have built a significant brand off their YouTube channel. Other leading stations like Kameme FM, Radio Jambo and Radio Citizen are also doing video broadcasts of their radio shows on YouTube.
This spreading adoption is a clear validation that the podcast format is a necessary strategy for attracting online audiences today, especially when it comes to talk info-tainment. We await to see how these efforts by mainstream media will play out; but this is now a battle for the core product model of media; the name brand media house versus the familiar creator.
2. Could Kenya’s podcasters become kingmakers?
Podcasts are generating a level of audience engagement that is more akin to fandom than passive viewership; a fandom built on trust and community. This community bond is best witnessed in the offline events being increasingly held by podcasters. The aura in these gatherings is akin to a political rally; with the podcasters as the beloved figureheads whose every word is cheered on by a doting audience.
As their audiences grow, neutrality may no longer be an option for podcasters. Corporate and political forces are already paying attention. In the coming 2027 elections, the political choices of major podcasts will matter, and their influence may rival Kenyan mainstream media’s agenda setting monopoly. What happens if this fragmented, but highly influential cohort is organized politically behind a candidate? The recent US elections, dubbed ‘the podcast election’, have already shown the potential of independent media figures to shape political narratives and mobilize audiences. Could Kenya’s podcasters become the next kingmakers?
Beyond politics, podcasts are shaping social narratives as well. With an overwhelming male audience, podcasters are in prime position to shape how young men perceive and perform masculinity. Podcasts have been at the forefront of the rise of the manosphere globally, and have been at the forefront of its spread in Kenya too.
3. First they come for the audience, then they come for the money
In a saturated world, the modern consumer goods brand or politician does not have a visibility problem, they have a connection problem. Podcasts have mastered this approach—proving that deeper engagement matters more than mass output. Where podcasts may not always match mainstream outlets in total views, they leave them far behind in attention garnered per upload. In our sample, the average podcast video racks up over 7 times the views of a mainstream media upload, and 14 times more engagement (likes, shares, and comments). A podcaster like Abel Mutua with just 96 uploads in 2024, outperformed Nation Media, which posted 3,749 videos in the same period.
Therefore, the resources that are pushed towards Kenya’s media ecosystem now seriously consider podcasts as a viable choice given the strong connections podcasters have with their audiences. These stakeholders (advertisers, donors, investors) are recognizing the potential that lies in podcasts. Some of them view them as cheaper and more effective, whether it’s for product placements, branded content or syndicating entire shows.
4. The Credibility Question
Like all of alternative media, podcasters face the responsibility of their increasing influence. As outlined so far, these creators are in many ways taking over the role of journalists, especially among youth and female audiences. They inform, educate, inspire and shape opinion on everything from current events, health, parenting, spirituality to personal finance. However, most are not journalists, and thus not held to the scrutiny and standards of traditional journalism.
As much as they endeavour to invite subject matter experts, the lines between fact and opinion can be easily blurred when you are your own fact checker. In the race to win over fleeting audiences, engagement and entertainment can overshadow accuracy and depth. With the level of audience trust and deep attention they garner, podcasters have to find ways to ensure accuracy and avoid misinformation.
The best storytellers are no longer in the newsroom
What’s also very notable is the significant exodus of upcoming talent from mainstream radio or TV into digital content creation. This essentially starves mainstream media of an essential talent pool of young creatives who find it more valuable to build their own assets on podcasts and social media. While somewhat silent, this undercurrent will have widespread effects on how the next generation of Kenyan media will look.
Photo by Ritupon Baishya on Unsplash
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