It is all about COMMUNICATION

Why humility and coherence in government communication remain the true foundations of national confidence By Ezekiel Mwabili Trust in institutions is like the mortar that holds up an old stone house. Once it begins to crumble, even the strongest walls are at risk. In Kenya, this trust is often tested not by the absence of laws or leadership, but by the words that bridge — or break — the relationship between the two. When the High Court halted the National Police Service Commission’s recruitment over a Sh60 billion payroll dispute, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen remarked that he was unsure whether the court understood the “magnitude” of the process. To some, it sounded like an expression of frustration. To others, it was a window into how power sometimes speaks before pausing to listen. In that single phrase, confidence in the delicate balance between law and leadership trembled. Public communication, when handled without reflection, can turn governance into theatre — whe...

  By Ezekiel Mwabili Trust in public institutions is like a fragile thread; once broken, it takes years to mend. When President William Ruto announced at the UN General Assembly that Benedict Kabiru, a Kenyan police officer missing in Haiti for six months, had died, that thread was tested. The nation heard the news before Kabiru’s family had been properly informed. What should have been a solemn moment of honour instead became a painful lesson in how easily communication can wound. Kabiru vanished on 25 March 2025 after gangs ambushed a convoy in Haiti’s Artibonite region. For months, the National Police Service spoke of ongoing search efforts, while the Attorney General’s office insisted in court that no confirmation had been received. Then came the President’s words in New York, carried instantly across the globe, leaving the family blindsided. It was not just a misstep in timing; it was a fracture in empathy, a reminder that even in a digital age of instant communication, humani...