Kenya: His eyes set on 2017,CORD supremo, Raila Amollo Odinga, has embarked on an extensive and aggressive media campaign hoping that the approach will consolidate his support base while reaching out to prospective supporters.
His media strategy spans a parade of tools: a functional eponymous website, an sms interactive platform to engage with supporters and interviews on mainstream media. The veteran politician appears determined not to repeat past mistakes that pundits believe cost him the presidency. It is an acknowledgement of the power the media wields in shaping public perception and driving certain narratives.
There is no question that this strategy is powerful as far as presidential politics in Kenya is concerned. One, the strategy destroys Jubilee propaganda of digital superiority: the perception that the ruling coalition is the sole custodian of matters digital is currently suffering serious blows. This takes away an important propaganda tool that Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto employed to clinch the presidency.
On another important front, employing the media enables Raila Odinga to package his own narrative in a fashion that bolsters his presidential prospects while countering mainstream media perspectives. His recently unveiled website is especially important in that regard; a timely resource to counterbalance the Jubilee propaganda juggernaut.
An interactive media strategy also enables the former prime-minister to engage directly with voters. That engagement is crucial as it gives him an objective sense of what the concerns of ordinary Kenyans are, and therefore gives him an opportunity to forge an election-clinching approach that resonates with the electorate.
While this strategy is full of promise, it could spell disaster for the Odinga campaign. Important to note, is that as ODM rolls out this strategy, the Jubilee side appears dormant but that dormancy ought not to be interpreted as a lack of a strategy on their part.
The danger of Odinga's approach is that it over-exposes him giving the other side the opportunity to plot against the opposition. There is nothing wrong with engaging with supporters through media but that kind of engagement should be done in moderation and in a manner that doesn't enable the other side to plot against you. Moreover, frequent appearances on media could yield boredom in voters.
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