public relations in the kenyan

7/28/2019 Public Relations in the Kenyan

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PUBLIC RELATIONS IN THE KENYAN GOVERNMENT

BY Ruth Nyambura, Alice Kimani, Minnie Kangethe, Janet Koech

Public Relations

Public relations is a management function that establishes and maintains mutually beneficialrelationship between an organization and its publics. This implies that organizational policies

and actions should be win- win situation for both the organization and the public. (Lattimore,

Baskin, Heiman, et al (2004))

Functions of Governmental Pubic Relations

Governmental public Relations, like any other Public relation Practitioners, seek to achieve

mutual understanding between their agencies and publics by following a strategic publicrelations process. They must gauge public opinion, plan and organize for public relationseffectiveness, construct messages for internal and external audiences and measure the

effectiveness of the entire process.

The most basic functions of governmental public relations are to help define and achieve

government program goals, enhance the governments responsiveness and service and providethe public with sufficient information to permit self government. The goal of pubic relations

officers is to promote cooperation and confidence between citizens and their government. This in

turn requires governmental accessibility, accountability, consistency and integrity.(Lattimore,Baskin, Heiman, et al (2004))

Examples of public Relations Firms in Kenya:

a) Tell-Em Public Relations (EA) Ltd.

b) Gina Din Corporate Communications Ltd

c) Ogilvy Public Relations.

d) Scanad Public Relations

The government of Kenya did not go for any of these and many more firms to act as theirspokesperson but rather chose an individual to head the office which is known as the office of

public communications but better known as the office of the government spokesperson. His

name is Dr. Alfred Mutua and he is Kenyas first Official Government Spokesperson and PublicCommunications Secretary (PCS). He was appointed on June 22, 2004 and was tasked with

setting up a new office and communication system for the country.

Mutuas career has been varied. He has been a Journalist and Filmmaker with 14 years


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experience in both Print and Broadcasting in Kenya, the United States (US), Australia and the

United Arab Emirates. (UAE).

A government spokesperson works in the communications department of a government office.Well, to put it the right way, the government spokesperson is the head of the communication

department. It is also known as the Government Spokespersons Office by law. This office iscomposed of an administrative unit. This administrative unit supports the spokesperson and they

have to report to him/her. The employees in the communication department assist thespokesperson with their daily work.

The Office of Public Communications seeks to effectively facilitate communication between the

Government of Kenya, its citizens and global audiences, which is according to the officialwebsite of the office of the government spokesperson. It further adds that the main thrust is the

building of an efficient and proactive Government communication system through research,

training and information dissemination for good governance and positive image of Kenya.

The office co-ordinates, plans and executes Government communication while improving theexisting network in the Ministries. It is also involved in marketing of Kenya.

The Office enlightens citizens on their rights and responsibilities, at the same time encouraging

them to be proud of their country. The Office exploits communication as a tool for development.

Through use of various channels, it highlights Kenyas positions and achievements in acontinuous, open basis. This is achieved by employing a close working relationship between the

Office, Government departments and other stakeholders.

The Office works closely with the media houses to maintain the sacred respect accorded to the

press by Kenyans as a vital fourth Estate. The Government believes that freedom of expression,

accountability and an open system are vital for our democratic state. This celebration of freeexpression and press freedom will continue to be encouraged with clear and well-defined ethical

and legal standards. (http://www.communication.go.ke)

Ethical Theory and Ethical Issues

Utilitarianism (John Stuart Mill)

Teaches the greatest good for the greatest number it is a system used in a democracy (rule of the

majority with respect for the minority) minority has to sacrifice something of value if it is goodfor a country as a whole and is divided into two:

a) Greatest good in a specific case.

b) Greatest good for the general welfare.
http://www.communication.go.ke/http://www.communication.go.ke/


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With this premise in mind, we believe that the government in Kenya through the spokesman, Dr.

Alfred Mutua, assumes when it does PR for itself it is for the greatest good.

As a government, it goes without question that there needs to be good PR over the country andthe workings of every institutions for the purpose of educating and informing the masses but also

to sell the country abroad.

Nevertheless there emerges serious ethical concerns when it comes to the PR campaigns and

more so the office of the government spokesperson in Kenya. Just to give a few facts; Kenya isfirst and foremost governed by a coalition with the major shareholders being PNU and ODM, led

by the president and the prime minister respectively. It is no secret that the ODM side has no

love for the government spokesman and Mr. Odinga is on record asking which governmentexactly does Dr. Mutua speak for. PNU on the other side sees no problem with the man.

The ethical issue here then becomes, is it ethical to have a government spokesman who

apparently to the masses and according to half of the government section does not speak for the

entire government? If so, is it also ethical for Dr. Mutua to remain in office without the veryobvious lack of support and confidence from the ODM side which he also purports to speak on

behalf of?

Finally on that part, is it ethical for the coalition government to use taxpayers money to pay a

civil servant whose real duty in our opinion is not known and if known is not performed well?These are real concerns that up to date have not been addressed and the office that is supposed to

perform PR functions for the government is still muddled with a lot of controversies and a public

that sees is no more than a stooge for the government.

From the controversial 2007 elections, to the handling of corruption scandals and most recently

the Geneva conference with regards to Prof. Alstons report, it is clear that there is a disconnectand also discontentment with the particular office. As the general public, we are caught up in

what seems to be a political fight for supremacy which leaves questioning what to believe andwhat not to.

Dr. Mutua keeps issuing one controversial statement after the other. Take for instance, last week.

The head of the civil service, Ambassador Francis Muthaura was taken ill and admitted at a local

hospital. The spokesman issued a statement saying that he was alright and that he would not needany specialized treatment abroad. Lo and behold just a day later, Mr.Muthaura was flown to

South Africa for specialized treatment. We do not believe that went particularly well for his

office.

Further a field in the USA, it has been reported that Kenya is walking the global market lookingfor an image maker who will push its interests among foreign governments and international

agencies. It has launched a search for a PR and lobby firm to be based in the US, where much of

its work will be in Washington and New York.

The ethical questions here include; is it our priority as a country at the moment to hire a firm toimprove our image whilst 10 million Kenyans face starvation, the economy is down, a budget


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deficit of 102 billion and employees facing job cuts every single day. Is it a PR and lobby firm

really our priority at the moment or are our priorities misplaced?

The thing that just does not sit well with most Kenyans is that this is seen as an attempt to painta pig with lipstick (the government). Corruption, tribalism, nepotism, incompetence and a

police force acting as a death squad are Kenyan realities; instead of trying to paint an image ofheavenly and majestic Kenya which is not there by hiring firms, why not simply make it that

way.

If the government was committed to reforms, it would have done so but has rather opted to take

the easy way out instead of cleaning up its mess and putting its house in order, which is simply

not ethical.

In the year 2006, the Current U.S president, Barack Obama came to Kenya but as a juniorsenator and without adequate knowledge of Kenyan affairs, that is according to Dr. Alfred Mutua

and MR. Rateng Ogego, the Kenyan ambassador to the states. Mr Obama had complained in a

speech at the University of Nairobi that corruption and tribalism had reached a crisis point, butMr Ogego in a letter to the senator retorted that the attack was uninformed and in bad taste.

It is amazing that the current government, which was still in power back then, and a now

changed Dr. Mutua state that the Obama presidency is a lifetime opportunity that Kenya intended

to cash in on.

The fact of the matter remains that President Obama knows all too well about the Kenyan affair,this government seems to forget that his father suffered corruption and tribalism, realities that

still exist in this country. To make matters even worse, in his recent first ever trip to Africa, he

did not visit the birthplace of his ancestors but rather sent scathing attacks and calls for urgent

reforms in government.

As stated earlier, it does not seem ethical to waste taxpayers money on a PR firm in America

while those we are trying to convince already have our portfolio in hand. Surely, common sense

states that only reforms in the country will bring investors and certainly the U.S president toKenya. The money should instead be used to build schools and roads. That is certainly the ethical

thing to do.

The people of Kenya know that any government needs PR, but at what cost and to which lengths.

When we are told that the economy is booming yet thousands of us are getting laid off, it justdoes not make sense. When Dr. Mutua tells us bout how well the government is working yet we

have people calling each other (ngiris and fisis) in this harmonious government, it is quitedisheartening.

Kenyans are not fools. The late Bob Marley said in one of his songs that you can fool somepeople some time but you cannot fool all the people all the time. The office of the public

communications will only begin to make sense when true change is reflected on the ground,

words are words. People will believe you for some time but actions and not words speak the


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loudest. The office of the spokesman serves an integral role in the development of the nation and

should be used for such activities but not to white wash or sugar coat the obvious.

Image is everything but only the right image matters to any government. In the application ofutilitarianism, the government assumes that by at times white washing the issues at hand, they

bring about the greater good by giving the masses and illusion of peace and stability. This theoryin application in this part is hazardous in that the bubble eventually bursts and the people begin

to see the light. The government should instead apply an ethical theory like that of Deontology inwhich the rules determine the result and that everything is based on duty. The duty to tell the

people the truth and the moral duty to push the country forward positively.

Application of the Potter Box

Definition of the Problem

The countrys image has been tainted because of the 2007 post-election violence and the country

is viewed by many as a hub of tribalists, murderers and

The Values

They include respect for integrity, truthfulness and accountability.

The Principles

Our principles include professionalism, patriotism and morality.

The Loyalties

We are loyal to ourselves, our country, our government and the people of Kenya.

Using the Potter Box, we also use the Golden Mean theory which states we must avoid allextremes and that moral virtue is a middle state determined by practical wisdom. The middle

ground for us would be the government issuing statements of truth to the Kenyan public and to

the world but being very careful with the wording so as not to cause alarm and panic. It should

also work fast and smart at cleaning up the mess by involving mediators and also embarking ongenuine reconciliatory measures.


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One extreme would be to issue false statements over the state of affairs in the country and to gag

every outlet of truth in order to protect its image on the ground and abroad. On the other hand,

the other extreme would be to issue very alarming statements on that the country is in a totalmess, all systems are not working and that Kenya is practically a failed state. That is our

assessment.

Conclusion

The Government should work with the media to protect our community values and culturalbeliefs that make us who we are. We do not want Kenyans and especially, the professional media

practitioners to suffer as a result of low standards by a few who have succumbed to neo-

colonialism, cultural imperialism and a foreign image of who we are and how we viewourselves.

In public relations ethics, there is no right or wrong answer, there are only courageous decisions.In public relations, you need to take every risk you can. We believe that it is unethical for a

public relations professional to fear failure. In public relations as in life we need to makecourageous decisions, day-in and day-out. Eventually, the government must make the right

choice or the right choice will forcefully be made for it.

References

Lattimore, D, O. Baskin, S.T. Heiman, E.L. Toth and J.K Van Leuven. (2004).Public Relations:

The profession and the practice. Boston: Mc Graw Hill.

(http://www.communication.go.ke)

www.africannewsonline.blogspot.com

www.marvintumbo.wordpress.com

Christians G. Clifford, Rotzoll B. Kim et al (2005)Media ethics: Cases and moralreasoning.

New York: Pearson education, Inc.
http://www.communication.go.ke/http://www.africannewsonline.blogspot.com/http://www.marvintumbo.wordpress.com/http://www.communication.go.ke/http://www.africannewsonline.blogspot.com/http://www.marvintumbo.wordpress.com/


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