By Josiah Kariuki
The Government has stepped up efforts to harmonise communication across public institutions as it seeks to improve the flow of information and strengthen public trust.
Principal Secretary for Broadcasting and Telecommunications Stephen Motari Isaboke on Tuesday presided over a national sensitisation and coordination workshop that brought together more than 250 Government information and public communication officers from across the country.
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The workshop focused on the newly approved National Communication Policy, which provides a framework for coordinated and unified communication across Government institutions.
The policy seeks to ensure citizens receive consistent, timely and accurate information on Government programmes, policies, services and opportunities.
Isaboke said communication should be treated as a core component of governance and public service delivery rather than a support function.
He said effective communication was critical to promoting transparency, accountability, citizen participation and public confidence in Government institutions.
A key issue discussed at the workshop was the integration of communication plans into Government institutions’ Performance Contracting frameworks.
Government agencies were also urged to allocate adequate resources to communication programmes to improve public understanding and the impact of Government initiatives.
The workshop also heard from the National Defence University of Kenya (NDU-K), whose delegation was led by Vice Chancellor Lieutenant General David Kimaiyo Tarus.
The university presented an assessment of the state of Government communication and proposed measures to strengthen Kenya’s communication architecture.
The recommendations focused on improved coordination, strategic messaging, collaboration between institutions and adoption of communication approaches that can respond to a rapidly changing information environment.
Isaboke said Government communication should go beyond simply disseminating information, arguing that citizens needed clear, credible and actionable information to understand Government priorities, access services and participate in national development.
The discussions come amid growing concerns over misinformation and information overload, which have made it increasingly difficult for citizens to distinguish credible information from misleading content.
The workshop brought together communication officers to strengthen a more professional, coordinated and citizen-centred approach to Government communication.
The Government said effective communication would remain important as it implements programmes under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), particularly in ensuring that citizens understand public policies and development initiatives.
The engagement is part of efforts to establish a more coordinated Government communication framework as the country advances its digital transformation agenda and seeks to improve interaction between public institutions and citizens.
