Baraza Research
Surfacing Insights to Strengthen the African Media & Creatives Ecosystem

About

Since 2020, Baraza Media Lab has served as a vital hub for Kenya’s media and creative communities. To deepen our impact and respond to growing demand for evidence in the creative sector, we established Baraza Media Research Lab—a strategic initiative to generate actionable insights and support better funding, regulation, and collaboration in Africa’s media and creatives ecosystem.
Our Themes

“Exploring the
ever-evolving media spaces that shape our communities”

Our Approach

“At Baraza, we take a collaborative and action-driven approach to research. Our work is deeply embedded within community programming and strengthened by close partnerships, ensuring that every insight we generate is practical, relevant, and ready to be used. Our interdisciplinary team brings together expertise in media studies, anthropology, international development, statistics, and communications. Research managers at Baraza lead our projects day-to-day, supported by technical advisors and community-based consultants. With strong roots in the creative sector and a commitment to applied research, we’re uniquely positioned to turn data into meaningful action.”

Sectoral Deep-Dives

 Our research is organized around core segments of the ecosystem, which we monitor through ecosystem mapping, data tracking, and fieldwork:

News & Journalism

including print, broadcast, online, and freelance work

Audio-Visual Media

such as film, TV, documentaries, and podcasts

Digital Content & Social Platforms

creators, influencers, and platform-native storytelling

Cultural & Creative Arts

performing and visual arts, fashion, crafts, literature

Media Infrastructure & Distribution

broadband, streaming, aggregators, telecom

Policy, Governance & Oversight

regulators, legal advocates, licensing bodies

Research, Advocacy & Civil Society

think tanks, NGOs, training institutions

The Reports

Misinformation Sentiment & Trend Analysis

The State of Influencer Marketing in East Africa

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic within creative industries in Kenya

Media Law Handbook for Journalists in Kenya

Baraza Media Creative Sector Research

Reporting on suicide through social media by Kenya’s broadcasting stations

Podcasting in Africa

Discovery tour, Data Edition

Is this Mic On?

How to Engage With Us

We invite collaboration across several touchpoints. Organizations can commission studies with us—bringing a research question we’ll shape into actionable insights. You can fund a fellowship to support an emerging researcher addressing a key topic. We also welcome partners to co-host learning events aimed at surfacing trends and intelligence from across the ecosystem. If you have relevant datasets, we’re building a collaborative knowledge pool open to contributions.

Vacancies

We currently have no openings but kindly check out and subscribe to our bi-monthly newsletter Barua Ya Baraza for vacancies and opportunities within the broader ecosystem