The mention of northern Kenya often brings to mind the picture of many saddening stories of drought, floods and diseases among others.
This is especially because such stories have been flooding the information platforms over the years, painting a grim picture of poverty and suffering.
However, there is much more to this, and many uplifting stories are being reported from Kenya’s north.
The establishment of the devolved system of government through the constitution which was promulgated in 2010 has provided platforms for counties to tell their own stories, with digitisation further enhancing speed, efficiency and reach.
However, many counties have weak communications systems, with some lacking proper structures in the sector.
Last Thursday, communications directors from nine regions in the arid and semi-arid lands (Asals) converged at the Clarence Hotel in Nairobi to discuss ways of effecting communication and knowledge management systems at the county level for good governance.
A man fetching water in Kitui. Often, stories from Asal regions revolve around lack of water, disease outbreaks and drought. However, there are many positive stories yet to be told.
Photo credit: RACHEL KIBUI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Stories of resilience
Under the theme ‘Strengthening county governments’ resilience capacities through knowledge management and strategic communications practices’, the two-day event was organised by USAid, through the Resilience Learning Activity programme.
“I come from Marsabit, a county which is often associated with issues such as conflicts, drought and cattle rustling,” said Galgalo Fayo, the Marsabit County Director of Communication.
However, he noted, the county is endowed with a rich culture and tourism sites such as the Marsabit National Park and the Chalbi Desert.
Additionally, Mr Fayo said that there are stories of resilience among the people who are able to withstand harsh climatic conditions and still survive and thrive.
The county also boasts of a thriving meat sector with goats, sheep and cattle being supplied to various places across the country for slaughter.
His counterpart from Kitui County said that although the county is classified as semi-arid, it has huge potential for development if resources are well exploited.
“We have learnt that the ability to communicate effectively and with impact is in itself a rich resource towards changing the narratives from Kenya’s grassroots,” said Kitui Director of Communication Onesmus Kilonzo.
Sleeping giant
Kitui, he added, is a sleeping giant whose stories of mineral deposits like coal, should feature prominently as the face of the county.
A seasoned county communications officer, Mr Kilonzo advised newbies in the field to focus beyond the negative and traditional news and cast their lenses wider on bigger, positive stories.
A seasoned communication expert within Kenya’s media landscape and a university lecturer, Prof Levy Obonyo challenged counties to design their messages according to their audiences in a bid to inform, educate and influence behaviour, primarily among local communities.
Prof Obonyo has been among experts training the communications officers both within their counties and in Nairobi.
“The people at the grassroots depend on county communications frameworks to get such basic but very important information [on] agriculture, rain patterns and governance,” said Prof Obonyo.
“Through efficiency in communication, the public gets an opportunity to audit county governments,” he added.
Prof Obonyo called for continuous trainings among communications officers based in the counties, saying they need to tell stories about government activities, engagements with development partners and social-cultural and economic dynamics, among others.
This way, he added, the faces of these counties, especially those in Asals, will be objective as opposed to information revolving around select aspects.
For the last three years, USAID/RLA has been training communications officers and local journalists on strengthening communication.
Some of the fruits of the numerous trainings is the launch of a communication strategy in Turkana County and a disaster risk management communication strategy for Isiolo County.
Samburu and Taita Taveta counties have draft communication strategies in place.
