Govt Denies Hiring PR Firms to Repair Kenya’s Global Image

The government on Monday, January 13, addressed claims regarding the alleged hiring of two international news agencies, APO Group and Zawya, for public relations purposes.

In a statement issued by Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura, the government sought to clarify the role of the two companies, stating that it does not have commercial ties with them.

This followed an online publication which claimed that the two news agencies were on the government’s payroll, purportedly to help repair President William Ruto’s allegedly tarnished image.

The government explained that one of the organisations had been working with it on a pro bono basis since 2020, assisting in disseminating news from the Presidency.

“A recent article suggests that the government has hired APO Group and Zawya for PR. To clarify, there are no commercial ties with these organisations.” the statement read in part.

“APO has been sharing Presidency news pro bono since March 2020, prior to President Ruto’s tenure to help amplify African Voices,” the statement further added.

According to the article being referred to, the government had leaned towards the expertise of APO Group whose primary mission is to empower businesses through strategic communication, and Zawya, a trusted news source in the Middle East and Africa to supposedly assist in amplifying positive narratives about the presidency and key ministries.

The alleged hiring of the two agencies was highlighted as a strategy to repair Ruto’s image that was massively dented in the aftermath of the June-August Gen Z-led protests over the Finance Bill 2024 and use of excessive force to suppress demonstrations.

Further heightened international scrutiny, particularly by Western governments and human rights organisations critical of reports of extrajudicial practices such as abductions, enforced disappearances, and alleged killings of government critics, was cited as another reason for engaging the two agencies.

The article claimed the government was paying online bloggers between Ksh30,000 and Ksh100,000 monthly to publicise achievements and promote the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA). 

In addition to relying on the two firms, the article highlighted a decision by a top government official to hire media and communications experts to bolster the government’s image.

Ruto has previously expressed concerns about the risks posed by the digital media landscape, particularly concerning disinformation and fake news.

While delivering his Jamhuri Day address in 2024, Ruto explicitly outlined his fears: “We are at the stage in social development when digital technologies have immense capacity to amplify disinformation, magnify fake news, and distort facts beyond all recognition. If we give in to these emerging negative trends, we shall pay with our freedom, democracy and development.”