ShujaazFM circulation boost pushes readership estimates to 12 million a month
8 May 2010

With the third edition of ShujaazFM hitting the streets last week – the project has received support which will double production of the comic each month. From June 2010 the print run for ShujaazFM will increase to 600,000 copies, making it the largest circulation publication in Kenya.

ShujaazFM is distributed as an insert into the Saturday Nation once a month with the remainder going out via Safaricom's Mpesa kiosk network in rural and poor urban areas.

Rob Burnet said: 'Given the positive feedback from the Mpesa outlets it is great news that we can supply the kiosks with twice as many copies of ShujaazFM .'

Funding has come from GTZ which is interested in national cohesion in light of the post election disturbance. Rob explains: 'ShujaazFM already has stories which are about national cohesion, but in conversation with GTZ we have convinced them that ShujaazFM is contributing to stabilizing livelihoods through the promotion of the agricultural innovations and that this is key to the goal of stability and cohesion.'

Prof Ian Maudlin Director of RIU said: 'it is great news to see links being made between agricultural innovation and national stability and cohesion. Clearly ShujaazFM has found an imaginative way of drawing together a consortium of funders with apparently different agendas and shown that they are actually interrelated. We are delighted that this means that 12 million young Kenyans will read agricultural messages which can help food security and help them out of poverty.'