The study examined the relationship between media practice and socio-economic development; a case study Voice of Muhabura Radio. The objectives of the study were to examine the relationship between media practice and socioeconomic development at Voice of Muhabura; to establish the factors that prompt the media to participate in socioeconomic development and to assess the challenges faced by the media while participating in socio-economic development. A cross sectional research design which employed both quantitative and qualitative techniques was employed in data collection and analysis purposive and simple random sampling techniques were employed to attain responses from 60 respondents including managers and journalists of Voice of Muhabura and some members of the public. The study revealed that there is a significant relationship between the media and people’s economic development because the media leads to education of people. Media creates awareness amongst the people; provides employment opportunities to people; media leads to corporate social responsibility in the society. Media communications improve people’s health standards; media mobilizes people for common goals of development and provides resourceful information to the people. It also revealed that the primary factor for media participation in the process of economic development is the intention to educate the people; desire to provide resourceful information to the people; need to have corporate social responsibility by the media; desire to create awareness amongst the people. The need to create job opportunities for the people and the intentions of mobilizing people for common goals of economic development. And finally it revealed that media participation in people’s economic development is challenged by high taxes imposed on media by the government; government interference in media operations; poorly developed infrastructures especially in rural areas; political instabilities. High levels of illiteracy especially in rural areas; urban congestion of people and capitalization of media offences. The researcher recommended that the government should always arrange workshops to inform the journalists about the new policies to follow in media operation. It also recommended that the government should always come up with policies that promote media operations. The researcher further recommended media managers to encourage their journalists to operate with objectivity and lastly, it recommended media houses to prioritize structuring their leadership to be organized because organized leadership escalates better media operations for economic development.