Influence of Media Framing on Public Perception of Femicide: A Case Study of Nairobi and Kiambu Counties, Kenya

Abstract

This study investigated the role of televised media framing in shaping public perceptions and participatory development responses regarding femicide within Nairobi and Kiambu counties. Grounded in the positivist paradigm, the study used a quantitative descriptive cross-sectional research design. The specific objectives of the study were to: (1) examine prevailing televised framing patterns in reporting femicide; (2) analyze the extent to which participatory communication approaches are integrated into programming; and (3) establish the relationship between media framing strategies and audience critical consciousness. Data were collected from a survey of 150 respondents aged 25-54 years across Nairobi and Kiambu counties (N=150), complemented by a content analysis of 67 television news reports broadcast on Kenyan television stations. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Key statistical findings indicate that episodic framing dominated 77.61% of reports, and correlation analysis demonstrated that thematic, contextual framing was associated with higher levels of audience critical consciousness (r = 0.2semicolon28, p = 0.005). Furthermore, the data show that traditional top-down framing structures restricted participatory development responses, whereas structured integration of dialogue-driven communication enhanced public engagement metrics by 80.80%. The study concludes that balanced editorial framing is moderately associated with improved critical civic feedback. Based strictly on these findings, the study recommends that broadcasters adopt targeted contextual reporting guidelines and integrate interactive community segments into mainstream news programs.