Obviously Kenya Suffers From Lack of Communication Tack and Tact

Kenya has great communicators. The robustness of both our mainstream media and alternative media houses is unrivaled in our part of the world. The citizenry's skills on X are revered on the continent right from the nascent days of Kenyans on Twitter—KOT. With an educated population, academics, authors and multilinguals abound. So, collectively Kenyans ought to have succeeded by now in positioning the country as the world's favourite destination in agreement with the tag, 'magical Kenya', as promoted by the tourism board.

But today, we've succeeded in dissuading the world from showing up in big numbers. We've simply shot ourselves on our stronger foot and wonder why we are limping.

There is an interview caption doing the rounds on social media of a South African anchor asking Hon. Raila Odinga why he is seeking the Chairmanship of the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa whereas the government of Kenya cannot account for the abducted youth suspected to be in the government's custody. She asks how Mr. Odinga will run the AU if disturbing questions abound at home.

This is a question coming from the national of a country where several foreigners get ambushed in their taxis from the airport to their hotels when customs officers collude with thugs and cab drivers after visitors declare the amount of money they have on arrival. But such stories and narratives never get space in South African media or get pushed on the X space. They fill their papers with solvable problems such as power outages. This is a moment to take a cue from them.

There are countries in south America that have trouble with gangs that practice ransom seeking abductions and all manner of terrifying things but such never get media space so that their tourism offerings appeal to the world.

Recently, I learned through a WhatsApp group that the Kenya shilling is the best performing currency in the world. This was from a clip recording of a senior treasury official informing guests at a wedding that the shilling has held firm against the dollar for the last seven months and that all macro economic fundamentals are now okay but for the management of debt which will be overcome in due course.

Judging from the guests, mama mboga and watu wa boda boda were absent from the function. This is the kind of news where the government should have held a media briefing to inform a hope-starved population of economic developments.

The negative impact of the curse of what is communicated is attributable to the citizens, foreigners and the government. It's a buffet offering from many active kitchens and is beginning to have the world constipated, as the whiffs of their offensive belching is getting at us who served it hot.

A big part of the communication problem is in the government's failure to maintain timely briefings leaving that void to be taken up by random spokesmen on social media. The National Cohesion and Integration Commission has been selective on what constitutes hate speech and has by omission or commission polarised rather than cured the tribal devil that contributes 50% of what threatens peace. Perhaps we are funding a National Hatred and Dissemination Commission instead. I hope the good man of the cloth will take this positively and pull up his socks. We need to detribalise communication.

It also is unhelpful of identified or accused government operatives when credible and respected people in society confirm the occurrences of heists from public coffers. When people put two and two together, they ask why the macro economic fundamentals are sound but no money is circulating. It is the communication circulating in this moneyless void that soared high our dubious global standing recently when we alongside Nigeria and Syria saw our leaders voted tops for corruption.

There is a group of powerful people who are not happy with the changes that have swept them from the centre of action. These are people who from independence to very recently held sway on government supplies. The discomfort of being replaced abruptly has seen them sponsor anti establishment rhetoric in the hope of being heard and if not, then shorten the present administration's time in power. The best place to pass their message is to everyone so that dissatisfaction levels are high enough to create a political storm. Yes, indeed a high potency strategy but the 'no one wins if I don't win' mentality is costing us big time. Employing the Samsonian option is selfish, for Kenya is bigger than the privileged few who've all along feasted on the country's fat with a high sense of entitlement. Such business dealings make us a political economy in place of the promise of a free market.

Then we have brave novices with tunnel visioned focus. These ones are eating the dogs, eating the cats and eating the pets. They are cutting close to the bone and damaging financial muscle tissues in the process. Their world is within the confines of their travel within Kenya. Most have hopped out of their villages to Nairobi and no further but take on topics that need the kind of exposure and knowledge that is yet to reach them. The constitution protects our freedom of speech but it doesn't make us wise. Even within families, children are taught to be economical with the truth lest they embarrass or expose the family to ridicule. We cannot share everything we know with everyone and remain trusted. We must exercise wisdom.

And finally, one of our neighbours expelled Transparency International years ago. That there is little reported on corruption there doesn't make us anymore corrupt than them. We must learn to compare an apple for an apple.

Tack and tact remain elusive when we put our mouths in motion before engaging our brains correctly in gear.