By Eric Wamanji
Twice, in as many months, our President lamented how Communication has failed the government, or better still, how the government has, pitifully, failed to communicate its programmes and projects. The president first confessed his concern during a live TV interview at the height of the Reject Finance Bill agitation. The president said: “We did not communicate well. In fact our communication architecture failed us…” The second time: when he swore in the new broad based government. The public communication communication is broken.
Indeed, anyone can empathise with the president. If your message is not reaching your critical stakeholders, in this case the citizen, there’s reason for concern. It appears articulation of government programmes, has become a slippery enterprise. Of course this admission of challenge also underscores the recognition of the primacy of Comms as a critical governance enabler. The trouble is that in the Kenya’s Public Sector, communication is relegated to the fringes; forgotten, neglected, abused and treated as second fiddle, unnecessary even. In Parastatals it’s even worse. There’s an animal called SCAC that is dismembering and strategically diluting the function of corporate communication. This is nothing but disaster. it’s not a surprise therefore that there’s a mismatch of what the government does, and how the public perceives it. The result is that the public sector reputation index is wanting.
Clearly, the currency and purchase of Communication is either, yet to be understood or just recklessly devalued. That’s why, generally, government hires technicians/ information officers (sometimes bloggers, journalists) to run its Comms. Hardly does GOK go for Strategic Comms experts. The trouble with technicians is that the best they know is what Grunig & Hunt called “Press Agentry”. Period. They lack in the sociological, philosophical and psychological nuances of the enterprise that is strategic comms- key aspects critical to communicating government.
Besides, the government communication edifice is disjointed and lack in coherence. There appears to be so many cooks in the kitchen, each fumbling, mumbling and stumbling. Small wonder the broth is spoilt.
Further, Comms is underfunded, and of late, there’s a robust misguided and unwitting campaign to downgrade the Comms function. The result is of course a collapse in communication and a possible collapse of systems – see what GOK is experiencing today, by and large.
How Can Communication work for GOK?
1. Solid budgetary allocation.
2. Hire the right folks- who understand the art of strategic comms.
3. Comms function to report to principals – i.e. the key decision makers.
4. Continuous Training.
5. Communicate more; less propaganda.
6. What this means is that government must overhaul its communicative architecture, restructure and realign its communicative philosophical design and let the real expertise do its beat.
7. Yes, yoo-hoo. government must beware that there are a million and one faux experts citing verse and chapter like satan (read buzz words like rebranding, culture change, change management, authentic). Government should go for tried and tested professionals.
8. Support the Mass Media. GOK should not treat the media and journalism as a threat and enemy. No. Journalism is a useful tool that can help in objectively articulating government programmes. A mutually beneficial relationship- of course with checks and balances- helps a great deal. The government is at a better stead in having a reputable, stable media than a fragmented, chaotic media. No one will bring any sense to society.
9. Cut the slack. There are so many competing sources of government communication. That is wrong. Have one, competent, solid chain. A solidified chain of command will chop second guessing, will bring clarity and focus. All those hangers-on folks should better get something useful to do. As it is now, they’re the ones killing the soul and spirit of government. Make no mistake, communication drives systems- societies, business, government. Ignore it at your own peril.
Post Script: Time is ripe for a Communication Think tank in Kenya.