Community Media: Building Trust and Resilience in Kenyan Post-Election Conflicts

Abstract

This article examines the constructive roles of community and faith-based radio in building resilience and trust in Kenya after post-election violence. Since the 2007/08 post-election violence, Kenya has had two hotly contested elections (2013 and 2017), which have contributed to the lack of trust in electoral institutions and government and the ongoing mistrust between and among different communities. Both mainstream and community media have been criticized for playing destructive roles during post-election violence in Kenya with little focus on any of their constructive roles in the post-conflict period. A key point in this article is that community radio can be used to facilitate peaceful social dialogue and build trust and resilience between and among different communities in Kenya. This is based on the fact that they actually show promising potentials to promote dialogue and better understanding among conflicting communities.