Former police spokesperson Charles Owino to head government communications

Former Police Spokesperson Charles Owino has been appointed as the Director General of the National Communications Centre.

The new body will coordinate communications across all ministries, departments, and agencies to increase public engagement and understanding of government activities.

Owino has stepped down from his role as Chairperson of the Council at the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication (KIMC), where he had been serving.

On Friday, President William Ruto appointed Silas Otieno Jonyo as the new Chairperson of the Council for a term of three years.

The decision to establish a new entity to coordinate government communications follows repeated acknowledgements by President Ruto that poor communication and inadequate public engagement have, on several occasions, prevented some Kenyans from fully connecting with the administration's programmes, policies, and projects.

The President first acknowledged this issue after the rejection of the 2024 Finance Bill, attributing its failure to insufficient communication regarding some of the new tax measures introduced in the Bill.

At the time, he noted that if he had been allowed to explain the Bill’s contents and its impact on the country’s economy, every Kenyan would have agreed with him.

"We did not explain ourselves well. I am sure my communication team failed, and our communication structure did not deliver. The message did not reach the people," he said.

After swearing in his Cabinet on August 8, 2024, the President reiterated the same message, stating that communication gaps had cost the country a valuable transformation plan.

"It is true, and I freely admit today, that due to sub-optimal communication of our development agenda and a feeling of insufficient public engagement, we have missed many opportunities to bring everyone along on the journey of transforming Kenya. This has left some citizens disconnected from the policies, programmes, and projects rolled out across the country," the President added.

For the last two years, the Kenya Kwanza administration has been implementing an economic transformation plan, known as the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), aimed at accelerating programmes that improve the lives of ordinary Kenyans amidst ongoing economic hardships and external factors such as climate change, conflict, geopolitics, and drought.

"More than ever, it is clear that we are united by a shared commitment to secure a prosperous Kenya that serves us all. For this reason, I am convinced that this moment in the life of our nation calls on us to build a strong 'team of rivals' to give our transformation agenda the best chance of success and to enhance inclusivity in national development," the President said as he introduced a broad-based Cabinet, urging them to embrace servant leadership at all levels of public service.

Some of the policies introduced by the new Cabinet have been met with criticism, with Kenyans questioning certain ministers' understanding of their portfolios.

This leaves Owino with a full in-tray as he faces a public that is more eager than ever for information about what is happening within government corridors.