Kenyan Podcasts You Should Tune Into

She Shapes the City celebrates female African change-makers in totality and tells their stories to inspire others. The podcast unveils remarkable women working in various sectors to solve the challenges facing their cities and communities. Among the pioneers featured are 12 women from Nairobi who are worth getting to know.

Nipe Story – translated from the Swahili phrase meaning ‘tell me a story’ – is a fortnightly Kenyan podcast that gives a voice to written short stories. The stories are strikingly narrated, bringing the characters and plots vividly alive. The selection of writers ranges across the literary landscape; stories range from five minutes to 25 minutes in length, and make for great listening on a long drive.

Omenerds Podcast perfectly illustrates being a Kenyan millennial struggling to cope with adulthood. Listening to the show, you get the feeling that you are privy to an intimate gathering of friends humorously discussing Kenya’s middle-class social and cultural woes. They often host a creative mix of guests to join in with their debates and conversations.

The Spread podcast and its fiery hostess are no strangers to controversy. Although the podcast tackles a number of issues concerning sex and sexuality, it was erroneously branded a ‘lesbian show’ by state officials during its debut year. Subsequently losing its network deal, the show carried on independently. Guests on The Spread offer a fresh take on matters relating to life, love, dating and sex.

Proudly Kenyan, Otherwise? is a weekly show that explores Kenyan current affairs issues as chosen by the people. The podcast is a timely and relevant conduit for conversations surrounding Kenya’s social and economic climate. Otherwise? benefits from a host who does her homework and has all her facts at the ready. It presents a youthful but informative platform that tackles issues differently than the mainstream traditional and new media channels.

Afracanah is a fun, energetic lifestyle and culture podcast hosted by two women who feel like your best friends. The podcast primarily focusses on the African diaspora experience on the continent. The hosts dive easily into topics such as current affairs, Africa’s tech space, development issues, inspirational women, and navigating the world of dating, culture and music.

2 Girls & a Pod is a literary podcast hosted by two women. It offers a refreshing insight into African writing from a Kenyan perspective. Generally, they discuss and analyse African fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction. It is energising that the show offers a truthful critique of different literary pieces without either fawning over or attacking African writers.

Kenyan Queer Questions attempts to tackle positively the toxicity that surrounds the LGBTQ community in Kenya. Government policy continues to isolate LGBTQ Kenyans in legal limbo, while the society amplifies the issue through continued silence or outright verbal and physical violence to those who are openly queer. The podcast hosts routinely answer questions sent into their podcasts with a beautiful and earnest vulnerability.