The Role of Media and Government; Strengthening Public Communication in Kenya

By Victor Bwire 

The communication landscape in Kenya, like in the rest of the world, has tremendously changed, demanding that players in both the public and private sectors quickly adapt. People who have ignored communication, especially those targeting mass audiences, whether in public or private sectors, are seeing their brands diminish as they struggle to find ways of sharing their impact with citizens and communities.

The changed communication landscape requires the prioritization of strategic communication and investment in both human and media resources to quickly help clients, including the government, maintain touch and communicate their efforts to garner the critical mass required to support national development. 

While it has been easy and manageable for the private sector to adopt and streamline their communication and messaging, as they target niche audiences, it has not been as smooth for the public sector. With a large staff across the public sector and constrained budgets, the communication vote in the public sector has drastically reduced.

Streamlining government communications, which required training of cabinet and principal secretaries, public communication officers, the purchase of critical infrastructure, and a working formula for formally engaging with citizens and the media, has been delayed. However, I am sure lessons have been learned, and attention is being given to structured and targeted engagement with both traditional and new media.

Away from the normal and historical tensions between the media and government, which are global, inclusivity in managing the affairs of the nation requires engagement between all sectors of the country without choosing who to like or dislike. In public service, you don’t choose who to work with; often, national interest overrides personal interests. Differing on principles and professionalism is very healthy. 

While the larger perception within the government is that the media isn’t an important player in the realization of public sector investments, it’s important to have a serious communication and messaging strategy to engage the media and update the public on progress. Public support is critical; professional engagement and prior information disclosure are very important, especially for the presidency, the presidential spokesperson, the government spokesperson, the messaging team, and the presidential delivery team. The achievement of these legacy projects will not benefit from unnecessary and unwanted distractions.

The provision of clear, timely, and continuous information flow with the public is a critical aspect of governance anchored in the Constitution, and the media is critical. 

The plans to activate a functional press center and stream government communication, hosted and coordinated by the Ministry of Information, Communication, and Digital Economy, are expected to host journalists and public officers, including Cabinet Secretaries and their Principal Secretaries, to brief Kenyans on government interventions. This sounds very promising. 

Having the national communication secretariat and strategy guide the government’s engagement with citizens through the media holistically is sure to change the national conversation and enhance inclusivity in national issues. The government’s voice, especially regarding its actions, has been lost, and many times, even those working for the government have responded to issues affecting the government through the prism of political parties or affiliations. 

While the government reorganizes its message delivery, the media also has a responsibility to reorganize how it seeks information from the government and professionally shares it with the public. The watchdog role must be performed responsibly and with the public interest at heart.

The media should find innovative ways to engage with and track the implementation of legacy projects and presidential commitments. This includes seeking factual information from respective government offices, using legal provisions for the right to information, applying data mining and analysis tools to track progress, releasing periodic in-depth analyses on government performance, and publicly naming specific individuals who frustrate their work. Kenyans need in-depth public interest content that helps them track progress on government implementation, exposes wrongdoing, and monitors performance on the four issues the president outlined in his speech. 

In this era of constitutional requirements under Articles 33, 34, and 35, information sharing, especially credible and timely information, is central to all managers, including those in government. The Government of Kenya is a signatory to the Open Government Partnership and has repeatedly indicated its commitment to open governance and adherence to the Constitution

Times are changing, and the new environment calls for innovative ways of doing business. It’s laudable that the government has realized this and is working on an official communication strategy.

We encourage dialogue and engagement on national issues, regardless of the sector we work in, as we hold the government to account, demand of ourselves to remain professional, and contribute to the growth of our country. 

Mr Victor Bwire is the Head of Media Development and Strategy at the Media Council of Kenya.