New unit must improve image of administration at the State House

Leaders who hitherto enjoyed messianic status become, in the eyes of the masses, monsters intent on oppressing their supporters

Media practitioners can now exhale! After a lot of speculation amid top journalists, President Uhuru Kenyatta finally announced his choice for the glorious position of head of the newly created Presidential Strategic Communications Unit (PSCU) during the first ever media breakfast held in State House on July 11.

However, the picking of veteran journalist and former deputy Commonwealth Spokesman, Manoah Esipisu, as the first Secretary of Communication under this unit to replace former head of the Presidential Press Service (PPS), Isayah Kabira, has left the media confused on how the decision was arrived at. Many expected the President or his advisors to raid the newsrooms for familiar names.

This can only mean one thing; the new administration is looking for people who can go beyond writing to communicate complex socio-economic and political issues to the masses. In essence, people who live outside the Fourth Estate and have no dyed-in-the-wool inclinations, something that afflicts many mainstream journalists. By their nature, governments elicit opposition and dissent in varying degrees. When taking office, nearly all regimes enter with over 50 per cent popularity ratings. However, a couple of years down the line (in Kenya it can take a hundred days!) the tide turns. Leaders who hitherto enjoyed messianic status become, in the eyes of the masses, monsters intent on oppressing their supporters. And this is where Esipisu’s work squarely lies.

Generally, government communications in Kenya takes place at different and disparate levels. First, there is now the PSCU previously headed for the last ten years by Kabira, a former managing editor at the Kenya Television Network, for the whole term of retired President Mwai Kibaki. The jury is still out on Kabira’s performance in selling Kibaki and his agenda. However, opinions have been expressed to the fact that Kibaki received a lot of negative press from his political adversaries and government critics with no corresponding defence from his publicity handlers.

Secondly, there is the Office of Public Communications whose first director as Government Spokesman was the new Governor of Machakos County, Dr Alfred Mutua.  Unfortunately, Mutua’s replacement in an acting capacity, Muthui Kariuki, has no such luck. In this day of heightened media literacy and an extremely proliferated, liberalised and digital media, the truth will definitely be out. The third tier is the Department of Information in the new ministry of Information, Communication and Technology (formerly Ministry of Information and Communication), which is technically the nerve centre of communication and public relations in ministries and public sector institutions. Therefore I believe this is what informed the formation of an expanded PSCU, which has five directors handling different communication platforms. A couple of tips for our brother in the profession. First, Esipisu should start by undertaking an independent and honest communication audit of what Kenyans of all orientations think about their Government. This will inform the messaging strategy he will formulate for the next five years, especially seeking the buy-in of people who might still be in denial about the change of guard at State House. Secondly, he must realise he is no longer the archetypal journalist he has been. He must now appreciate he is effectively the public relations officer of the President and State House. Another big task for the PSCU head is handling the image of the President. What kind of personality does the President want to project to Kenyans and the international community? We can only wish Esipisu Godspeed, good luck.