Last
week, the Daily Nation's Fred Oluoch had an interview with ODM-K Presidential
candidate Kalonzo Musyoka. The interview turned out to be a disaster.
It needn't have. The
previous week, there was uproar when another ODM-K Presidential candidate Raila
Odinga likened himself to the Christ, to Mandela and to Galileo.
This
is politics, and nowhere else can there be a better case for freedom of
expression. However, even the most ardent supporter of these politicians will
feel let down that their candidate slipped up in such public and humiliating
ways. I do not know what exactly happens in Kenyan politics where politicians
want to run every single detail and take little counsel that is not their own,
but Kenya's politicians badly need to employ Public Relations consultants to
script their conduct when they are running for public office.
Mistakes
will no doubt be made, and your average attention seeking politician is likely
to let fly something he will regret as soon as it leaves his mouth. However,
the conduct of interviews and press releases is controllable. Kalonzo Musyoka
should never have answered the questions Fred Oluoch threw at him, especially
because no answer he could have given was a good response. You cannot even in a
dream make out that reporting electoral fraud as a returning officer is in any
way equivalent to getting tear-gassed, whipped and detained. One would hope
that a politician with a legal background would do better than give his enemies
a rope with which to hang him, but perhaps working in the Kenyan courts makes
one more than a little rusty.
Similarly
Raila would do well to ignore every last question about the 1982 coup, nothing
he could possibly say would spin a coup attempt on a 3 year old government that
was improving the condition of Kenyans into an act of altruistic sacrifice. He
would do well to persuade voters that he is not arrogant. Likening yourself to
Jesus in a country where Christian fundamentalism is on the rise is a big
no-no. Regardless of what nuances one would like to apply to such sentiments,
they are less likely to win votes than to send them away. NARC-K / DP
strategists must be rubbing their hands with glee; here is one that will be a
staple at campaign rallies. Their opposite number in ODM-K will be wringing their hands, and begin to feel that defeat could very well be their portion.
Politicians,
even the most odious ones among them are representatives of some hope held by
their followers. They are also, in a system like ours, professionals. They are
not paid to make fools of themselves and destroy the prospects of their
acolytes. Public Relations consultants would guide them on how best to present
themselves to those voters who are not yet decided; a vital component in our
tribal politics. They would advice on whether the Hummer for example was a
vote-winner or not, or whether Kalonzo's detached demeanor was attractive to
the Kenyan voter. Should he get a little more animated, tell some jokes, affect a bonhomie? Was Raila's lavish, loud and grand launch good for his public image? What events and functions should the candidates associate themselves with? Who should they be seen around?
They would also likely advice the two contenders against
airing their differences in such a public manner, conduct that only strengthens
the hand of their enemy. For this reason, they may agree with Kalonzo's
position that joint rallies were unlikely to be useful for the party. Some
grievances, even if genuine are better kept hidden, or if revealed done so in a
manner that rewards the victim, instead of punishing him again.
No
number of the core supporters of Kalonzo or Raila will be dissuaded by their faux
pas, but in neutral areas, every step they take could decide thousands of
votes either for or against them.Â
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On another point, Narc-K also has it's own PR problems, with Kamanda and Nyaga tearing into each other, Dzoro publicly mocking Ndile's lack of education, Jane Kihara publicly attacking Dr. Kituyi, etc. Narc-K has its own housekeeping to do.
All in all, the PR disasters make our dull prime time news more interesting to watch.