Kenya has been named one of the most influential digital news markets in Africa, with Daily Nation emerging as a continental leader in the newly released RANKED2025 report by SquirrelPR, an African PR management platform. The annual report, now in its second pan-African edition, evaluates the performance and influence of digital news platforms across five of the continent’s key media markets: Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt, Kenya, and Ghana.
The 2025 edition of the report captures over 4 billion web visits across all tracked platforms in 2024, providing deep insights into how African audiences consume digital news, what platforms dominate, and where opportunities for growth lie. While previous editions of the report focused on Nigeria, the expanded coverage highlights Kenya’s emergence as a major digital content hub.
Daily Nation Joins Africa’s Tier 1 Digital Media Giants
Kenya’s Daily Nation has been ranked in Tier 1, a classification reserved for platforms with 100 million or more annual visits. With over 189 million visits in 2024, Daily Nation commands 46% of Kenya’s total News & Public Affairs digital readership, positioning it among Africa’s most powerful digital media brands, alongside Youm7 (Egypt) – Over 450 million visits, News24 (South Africa), GhanaWeb (Ghana), and Vanguard Online (Nigeria). The RANKED2025 report credits Daily Nation’s performance to strong content localization, an established editorial infrastructure, and Kenya’s growing digital literacy.
Kenya’s Digital News Landscape by the Numbers
According to the RANKED2025 report, a total of 36 digital news platforms in Kenya were tracked across three core verticals: News & Public Affairs (20 platforms), Technology News (11 platforms), and Entertainment & Lifestyle (5 platforms). Together, these platforms generated over 429 million visits in 2024, with News & Public Affairs accounting for a dominant 97% of the total traffic. In contrast, Technology News and Entertainment & Lifestyle accounted for just 1% and 2% respectively, revealing significant room for growth in niche content areas.
Understanding the Tiers: Who’s Influencing the Audience?
The RANKED2025 report categorizes platforms into three tiers: Tier 1: 100M+ annual visits – Reserved for the most influential players. Tier 2: 10M to 99M visits – Strong performers with national relevance. Tier 3: Niche platforms – With as low as 50,000 annual visits in specialized sectors like business, technology, and entertainment.
Kenya’s Tier 1 players include: Daily Nation, Tuko, The Star, The Standard, Kenyans.co.ke, Citizen Digital, and Business Daily. Platforms such as The East African and Nairobi Wire were listed in Tier 2, while numerous rising outlets formed part of the Tier 3 group—highlighted as “emerging giants” with potential for strategic PR engagement and influence.
The Power of Social Media in Shaping Influence
One of the standout revelations in RANKED2025 is the correlation between social media engagement and digital influence. Platforms with strong social media presence – measured through interactions, shares, and follower count – consistently ranked higher. This underscores a major shift in how news content is discovered and consumed across Africa, with social-first strategies becoming crucial for visibility.
Kenya and Africa’s Niche News Gaps: An Opportunity
The report highlights tech and entertainment journalism as underdeveloped sectors in Kenya, despite the country’s vibrant innovation ecosystem. While general news dominates traffic, niche verticals are gaining momentum: Egypt shows massive traffic but limited specialization in tech and business. Nigeria excels in entertainment journalism but lags behind in tech and financial content. South Africa leads in business and tech coverage but is underrepresented in lifestyle.
Kenya and Ghana are recognized as balanced markets with opportunities across all content types. For Kenyan tech and entertainment publishers, this represents a unique opportunity to differentiate, grow audience share, and attract PR investment.
PR Takeaways: Strategic Blueprint for Communications
The RANKED2025 report is not just a media audit—it’s a playbook for public relations and marketing professionalsacross Africa. With detailed traffic insights and social media analysis, the report equips agencies, brands, and media planners to: Target campaigns to the most impactful platforms, Align content strategies with audience behavior, Negotiate smarter media partnerships, Strengthen digital PR and SEO strategies, and Inform crisis communications with clearer media influence mapping.
“RANKED2025 equips media professionals with the clarity and context they need to thrive in a fast-evolving digital environment,” said James Ezechukwu, co-founder of SquirrelPR, during the report’s launch in Lagos. “This report is not just about rankings—it’s about reshaping how we understand influence and how we communicate across borders,” he added.
Final Thoughts: Kenya’s Digital News Voice is Growing Louder
As Africa’s digital landscape continues to evolve, Kenya is increasingly shaping the continent’s information economy. The rise of Daily Nation, the depth of Tier 1 platforms, and the promise in niche content categories confirm that Kenya is not just participating in Africa’s media race—it’s leading in strategic influence. For PR professionals, media buyers, and digital publishers, RANKED2025 offers a timely, data-rich resource to navigate this dynamic environment.
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