Waumini Communications of KCCB has made an impact to the people of the Lodwar diocese by bringing Radio Akicha back to Air within 48 hours after it was hit by a thunder storm.
Information received from Lodwar said a freak thunderstorm swept through Lodwar on 10th September shutting down Radio Akicha, the largest and most popular radio station in northern Kenya, owned by the Catholic Diocese of Lodwar.
The storm in Lodwar, a largely semi-arid region, known more for its devastating droughts, ignited a power outage that shattered radio equipment and other electronic installations worth thousands of shillings, forcing the radio station to send a distress message to Nairobi-Waumini Communications for help.
“The storm was so strong it destroyed all our equipment, we were completely off air. Our faithful listeners jammed our phones wondering what had happened to us,” said Ms. Mary Tioko, Director of Radio Akicha.
The Waumini Communications commissioned a team of technicians to assess the extent of the damage and carry out a needs assessment survey and brought the radio back on air within 48 hours of the sudden disruption.
Speaking with Waumini Online News, Rt. Rev. Dominic Kimengich Bishop of Lodwar paid tribute to the technical radio rescue team for their quick response.
“We were desperate when the radio went off air. I am glad that your network was so effective in providing rescue support within such a short time, it would have taken us months or maybe a year to get back on air,” said Bishop Kimengich.
Waumini Communications runs a network of seven Catholic radios in Kenya and has set up a rapid rescue team of technicians at its offices in Nairobi whose mandate is to provide emergency technical support to all the radios in the network.
Source: Waumini Online Reporter, KCCB
