In a move to have his 2022 media strategies in place, Deputy President William Ruto under Media-max Network has moved to re-brand coastal based radio station Pilipili FM into a local dialect.
The station will from next week begin broadcasting in the Mijikenda language.
The move to re-brand PiliPili FM is being viewed by pundits as a strategic investment by Ruto as he seeks to capture the Coastal vote ahead of the 2022 presidential contest. The station, which will now be known as Asena FM, was to commence broadcasts on May 6 but this has been delayed to next week pending approval by the Communications Authority of Kenya.
Mediamax, also owned by the Kenyatta family alongside a coterie of Mt Kenya tycoons led by Equity Group CEO James Mwangi, bought PiliPili FM from Najib Balala, who is now the Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary, and the plan was to convert it into a a vernacular station as President Uhuru Kenyatta sought to consolidate support in strategic regions in the county.
The station was started in March 30, 2012, then operating under PiliPili Media Limited, until February 1, 2015, when MediaMax acquired it. The planned re-branding comes barely three years since the station was relaunched.
Mediamax, also owns People Daily (PD) free sheet newspaper, K24 TV and Kameme TV, also operates Kameme FM, Milele FM, Emoo FM, Mayian FM and Meru FM.
Our sources previously indicated Ruto, who now owns a 60% stake in the media house, also plans to launch Emoo TV, a Kalenjin broadcasting station. The decision to re-brand and reinvest in the Mijikenda broadcasting FM station has already received board approval.
Ruto has variously made sojourns to the Coast where he has gained fanatical support among the Mijikenda community.
Previously, the Kenyatta family owned 38% while the other investors, including Mwangi, boasted of a 12% stake in the Kijabe Road-based media house. It is still not clear who among he two disposed their shareholding to Ruto.
The DP, however, would not be the first politician to strategically invest in the media to boost his ambitions.
President Uhuru enjoyed the support of stations such as Kameme FM, which breached media ethics by openly disparaging his opponents as they urged voters in his stronghold of Central Kenya to turn up in large numbers on voting days.