Information Gaps Will Send Youthful Politicians Packing

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Information dissemination gaps will send youthful politicians packing

Youthful politicians in North Rift should take to task their handlers-Personal Assistants and Public Relation Officers and grill them on why they have never featured on page-one of any newspaper and Online print .They should also be asked to explain why the governor,senator,MP or MCA has not appeared in prime time TV news two years after they were hired.

 In many counties, dissemination of information is a struggle for turf between the PA/P.R and the leader’s allies. The allies, mostly relatives, know more about their diaries but at the end the people to take the blame for bad publicity are their Assistants.

Why would a governor/senator of a neighboring county be on FM radio stations always while  others have never even attended a single radio interview?In some county, the governor has never even been given a caption in national newspapers,he has never been on top news, even when he flagged off iron sheets.The best the governor gets is a mention in the  ‘in another development’ segment. He is an appendix when other Governors enjoy celebrity coverage.

Some leaders know the value of good press-Elgeiyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen,Uasin Gishu Governor Jackson Mandago, Nandi Hills MP Alfred Keter, Kiminini MP Chris Wamalwa, West Pokot Governor Simon Kachapin, Turkana Governor Josephat Nanok, Nandi Women Rep Zipporah Kering and Kapseret MP Oscar Sudy-Most things this leaders touch, other leaders just watch as they turn them into publicity gold.

It is not because they have been in politics for long.No,it is because they know the value of good Press.

In one instance for example a youthful Senator who had an assistant run his facebook account was caught off-guard recently when questioned concerning his online engagement with the electorate.Thinking of himself as the Senator, the account manager saw nothing wrong with telling off the electorate for requesting for the Senator’s report card for the time he has been in office  until the public made his conduct the subject of debate.This may be ridiculous, but it is the kind of comedy that litters around our ‘youthful leaders’, with assorted PAs displaying strands of devolved power.

In most instances, this critical position of a Personal Assistant was filled without due regard to basic skills: It was based on nepotism and political patronage. Most of them know nothing about disseminating information.The results are already showing on who has the right man/woman for the job.

Why would a PA’s phone be always in ‘busy mode’. Some often overlook appointments with the electorate preferring instead to pay homage to their friends.At such moments when their boss is serving their friends everything else waits, including appointments with potential foreign investors.

 In some counties leaders have  no information to share. Little about them is known what is, and what is not. This shows how our so called ‘Youthful leader’ undervalue communication.

On a personal account ;In May this year I wanted some crucial information from a Senator . It took three weeks to get to him through his phone and his PA always asked me to first disclose to him what I wanted to discuss with his boss ,in the meantime it became very hard to get the ‘busy’ Senator to take a call. I had to sent an SMS starting with how I got the number,who I was, and what I wanted from the ‘Horrible’ Senator.

The mere mention that I was a blogger was followed with rants of how I was plotting to undermine him and how I wanted to write “bad things” about his office. He was later to apologize after realizing I am a respected columnist and opinion leader. 

Such is the crisis of communication in our ‘youthful leaders’. Unless they style up, chances are most of them are going to be one-termers – thanks to their inability to appreciate the value of structured communication and golden publicity.

The writer Wakili Psinen Pkiech is a practicing Advocate and a political analyst This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.