Kenya renews contract with PR firm as envoy protests

By LUCIANNE LIMO

The Government has renewed its contract with a top Washington public relations firm to improve its image in the United States at cost of Sh130 million.

The Government hired the PR company, CLS & Associates, in 2009 for a period of two years to clean Kenya’s image abroad after it was tainted by the post-election violence.

However, the Kenyan Ambassador to the US Elkanah Odembo has protested at the decision to retain the PR company, saying the Kenyan embassy is capable of doing the job.

The envoy further argued that he was not accorded any opportunity to provide input or observations with regard to the work of CLS by the Government before making the decision to retain the company.

"My humble recommendation and request is that the renewal of the CLS engagement be further discussed, negotiated and agreed upon with the Kenyan embassy team in US," said the envoy in his letter, dated May 25,2011, to Sam Mwale, the Principal Administrative Secretary at the Office of the President.

The company was invited early this year to give a presentation to permanent secretaries about their work and achievements and to pitch for a renewal of their contract.

According to the letter, Odembo said he had reservations about the presentation by CLS early this year in Nairobi on their achievements.

"My team and I have an opinion about the work that has been done by CLS. And while it is the case that some achievements may be noteworthy, we have major questions about the impact that CLS has made in DC and in the US in general," said the letter.

The envoy said he was a further disturbed by the fact that the report presented to the PSs was not availed to him or the Kenyan embassy.

Odemba said he has interacted with various strategic stakeholders in the US during his ten months as an envoy and says the embassy is well positioned to be a key participant in the decision to renew the contract of CLS yet this has not happened.

The embassy, he added, has embarked on a plan with Kenyan Diaspora, particularly those that are American voters, in advocating for pro-Kenya public policy in the US congress.

"We believe this will be much more effective than anything that a lobby group in Washington can do," said the letter in part.