Influx of Chinese jolts media house into plans to launch radio station

A market research study conducted on behalf of Loyal Media Services Limited (LMSL), a leading media house in Kenya, has revealed that there exists a substantial number of Chinese men and women in Kenya to warrant the launch of a radio station broadcasting in Chinese.

Consequently, the shrewd owner of the media house, which is said to have the largest number of vernacular radio stations, has already applied for a licence to start the station. Already the process of recruiting Chinese nationals as reporters, presenters and other members of staff has kicked off in earnest.

“What do you think these people (Chinese) listen to? They must be desperate for a Chinese radio station! We are especially looking for those who have no work permits and just came in with tourist visas or something, because we know their services are likely to be cheaper...” revealed an employee at the media house, who sought anonymity for fear of being fired because he is not authorised to talk to media.

He also said he overheard his boss say something to the effect that he is also considering starting a another radio for Nigerians, but for now, he is focused on setting up the Chinese one first.

The anonymous employee added that applicants who have dealt in ivory before would have an added advantage. “Again it’s all about authenticity,” the employee added. Additional reports say that the radio station will initially only broadcast in Nairobi and Mombasa.

And the prospects are so good that financial projections show that the radio station is expected to break even in a year. With some Chinese having been spotted hawking in some of the urban centres in the country, this is no doubt the case.

Chinese dishes

The other thing that LMSL is counting on is the fact that the children born of Chinese fathers and Kenyan mothers during the initial years of building infrastructure like the Thika superhighway, are now beginning to come of age, and should also form part of the audience for the upcoming station.

And they are also projecting that within a few years, after the standard gauge railway has been completed, there will be an even bigger population of Chinese speakers in the country!

No name has been picked for the station yet, but reports indicate that in light of the great Chinese tradition of piggybacking on established brands by taking a well known name and changing a letter or two, it could be anything from Radio Maisher to Radio Shityzen or Bibisee!

And in a related development, the Government has also been asked, owing to the increase in the local Chinese population, to now install road signs in Chinese for the benefit of the immigrants from the orient who only speak and write Chinese.

Also, for the benefit of those Chinese immigrants who might find themselves in Kenyan jails, the Government has been asked to hire prison chefs and cooks who know how to cook Chinese dishes!

“At national days we should even consider having the Chinese perform their traditional dances since they are now a part of us,” suggested one wag. “Our national days should wholly and completely represent the new face of Kenya... our constitution demands that!”

Those who are alarmed by the influx of the Chinese in the country are not just job seekers, but also local fraudsters who fear that it’s only a matter of time before they are dominated and find themselves redundant.

It has even been reported that some of the local fraudsters have approached the Government with a view to borrowing money from the Uwezo Fund, so that they can purchase more advanced equipment for their fraudulent activities and catch up before they find themselves without a job.