A LETTER FROM NAIROBI

Your Columnist spent this week in Nairobi, Kenya, for the World Conference on Public Relations in Emerging Economies (http://www.wcpree.com/index.html). Jointly organised by the Public Relations Society of Kenya (PRSK) and the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management (GA), the Conference was themed “Achieving Sustainable Development in Emerging Economies through Effective Public Relations.” Delegates […]

Your Columnist spent this week in Nairobi, Kenya, for the World Conference on Public Relations in Emerging Economies (http://www.wcpree.com/index.html). Jointly organised by the Public Relations Society of Kenya (PRSK) and the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management (GA), the Conference was themed “Achieving Sustainable Development in Emerging Economies through Effective Public Relations.” Delegates came from nearly thirty countries across the six continents and, as usual, Nigerians (including this writer) were there in quantitative and qualitative numbers.
The Conference literature says: “It promises to be thought provoking and will focus on crucial issues affecting emerging economies such as jobs and growth, health, sustainability and climate change and will bring some of the big names and thinkers to position emerging economies as centres for hard thinking, innovation and action.”
Your Columnist’s paper, titled “Security, Migration and Africa’s Image: A Challengeý for the Continent’s Public Relations Practitioners” discussed the possible role of African PR in countering the continent’s bad image arising from the tragedy of African migrants attempting to cross the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea in their bid to reach Europe – many perishing on the way. Also discussed were the push and pull factors encouraging this exodus, and the attendant security implications considering the insurgencies all around the Sahara.
The host organisers, Public Relations Society of Kenya, or PRSK, was established in 1971 and represents the interests of public relations and communication management practitioners in Kenya. The society’s mission is to promote excellence in PR by providing a forum for PR practitioners to exchange skills, knowledge and ideas while upholding society’s core values of professionalism, excellence, integrity and dynamism. Its equivalent here is the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) which was fully represented in Nairobi by its president Rotimi Oladele, his deputy Mukhtar Zubair Sirajo and almost all of the Institute’s Council Members.
The international hosting counterparts, Global Alliance, or GA, is the confederation of the world’s major PR and communication management associations and institutions and enjoys status recognition by key organisations such as the United Nations (UN), World Economic Forum (WEF) and Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). GA represents 160,000 practitioners and academics around the world and works to raise world standards in the PR profession, share knowledge and develop thinking on how communication can make organisations and society work better.
Kenya, the host country with its capital in Nairobi, is in East Africa on the Indian Ocean and a population of about 44 million. It encompasses savannah, lake-lands, the dramatic Great Rift Valley, mountain highlands and abundant wildlife such as lions, elephants and rhinos. From Nairobi (a flight of four and a half hours from Abuja) safaris visit the Maasai Mara reserve, known for its annual wildebeest migrations, and Amboseli National Park, offering views of Tanzania’s 5,895m Mt. Kilimanjaro. The country’s currency is the Kenyan Shilling which was this week exchanging for 99 to one US dollar. Like other East African countries, Kenyans speak Swahili as national language and English as “official”. Each Kenyan ethnic group also speaks its own ancestral language, aside these two.
The present government is led by Jubilee Coalition of President Uhuru Kenyatta, son of the country’s founding leader Jomo Kenyatta. A description of any African nation is usually not complete until one mentions the nation’s ethnic groups. Kenya, like Nigeria, has large and powerful ethnic groups such as the Kikuyu, the Luhya, the Luo and the Kalenjin. Among them, power-play and alliances determine who gets what. Kenya also has one of the highest top-heavy governments in the world – emoluments of ministers and members of parliament consumes a large chunk of national wealth. A bit familiar story.
And so, as usual with this Column’s “Letters From…”, we shall here give readers a few live titbits and trending events about Kenya while we were here. Enjoy:
NOT YET UHURU: This is the title of the autobiography of one of Africa’s legendary anti-colonialism campaigners Oginga Odinga of Kenya. Uhuru is Swahili for Free (from the Arabic root Hur, Freeborn). Incidentally, today in Kenya it is an Uhuru that is President – Uhuru Kenyatta. So does that mean Uhuru (Freedom) has come to Kenya since an Uhuru now rules Kenya? Far from it; the discourse in the traditional and social media indicate that Kenya is still NOT at Uhuru Junction. And it so happens that Odinga’s son, Raila, is the leader of Kenyan Opposition.
WOMAN MINISTER’S “CORRUPTION”: Does “A strong woman close to the Presidency accused of massive corruption” sound familiar? If it does, it is just a coincidence. The country in question is Kenya; the Presidency is the one led by Uhuru; and the woman in question is one of the most powerful ministers in the Kenyan Cabinet, Devolution Cabinet Secretary (Minister) Ms. Anne Waiguru. The Opposition is screaming blue murder, accusing this woman of all what’s wrong with Kenya. And they want her out. But the president is sticking with her. And no, she has no cancer.
NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK: The Conference Gala Dinner and Award Night was themed “Jungle Feel” and held at the expansive Nairobi National Park just outside the city where animals live in their natural habitats. Just before dinner, we were on safari, or game-watching, in the safenesses of our buses. When we passed by a lioness, she rose from where she lay, took a good look at our bus, turned its back at us and shat (the opposite of that other four-letter-word!) It seemed didn’t like us one bit. A buffalo did us worse: it showed its nose at us and snorted loudly – and what a sight, buffalo nose!
PRESIDENT EMERITUS KIBAKI: The immediate past President of Kenya, Mwai Kibaki, is a grand old man. Much like our own former president Olusegun Obasanjo, Kibaki still pokes his nose into governance. One thing is true about many African leaders – they would rather be kings. They cannot believe they are no longer calling the shots. As Obasanjo as Kibaki – perhaps the Kenyans start to quickly give him reconciliation assignments in smaller neighbouring countries, as we do here.
WHO COPIED WHOM?: The Kenyan National Anthem rings so familiar – in the English version that is. While the Swahili version begins most Africanly with: “Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu!” (O God of all creation!)”, the English first stanza goes: O God of all creation!/Bless this our land and nation/Justice be our shield and defender/May we dwell in unity/Peace and liberty/Plenty be found within our borders.
OTHER TRENDING STORIES: After the recent historic visit by US President Barak Obama to his father’s ancestral country, the next big-name visitor is the Pope, who is arriving in a few days’ time. Nairobi is agog with decorations. Other trending matters include Deputy President William Ruto’s struggle, with the full support of the Kenyan Government, to have his ‘crime against humanity’ case at the ICC in the Hague quashed. The ‘crime’ occurred during the 2007 bloody Kenyan elections.
FULL BODY MASSAGE: My Madam, who is herself a PR Practitioner and a delegate at the Conference in her own right, spent all her spare time at the Gym, the Sauna, the Jacuzzi and such other exotics at Intercontinental Nairobi, the hotel we stayed. Yours sincerely, he of the One-At-A-Time Syndrome, spent his extra time sleeping. The Madam chided and nagged at “This Big Lazy Oaf!” cajoling and urging movement! Finally, we agreed on a Full Body Massage. But when the person (note the gender – person) to administer the massage appeared, Madam changed her mind. Massage cancelled! But, argued Oaf, full non-refundable payment had been made and it was Madam’s idea in the first place! No! No massage! Finally, after a gender swap, Oaf got a foot massage for the price of full body. Kai! Not Yet Uhuru!