Photos: Wikimedia Commons
Kenya’s government has deployed an elaborate communications strategy around its latest finance bill to avoid a repeat of last year’s deadly protests, two sources in the administration told Semafor.
The plan combines appearances by public officials on mainstream TV and radio stations to explain the bill, town halls, and the use of social media influencers to shape messaging on platforms including X and Facebook.
The government blames misinformation for last year’s widespread protests in which more than 50 people were killed and hundreds injured. The protests were initially triggered by frustration over plans to hike taxes and create new ones. President William Ruto’s messaging focused on the need to make tough decisions to pay off Kenya’s significant external debt.
This year’s bill does not include new taxes but contains provisions, including a VAT shift, that could raise the prices of basic goods such as drugs, as well as motorbikes and mobile phones.
Read on for more about the Ruto administration’s new PR strategy. →
