communication requires two parties -
a sender and a receiver. For the whole
thing to be meaningful and create mutual
understanding, the two should interact
within a common frame of reference that
consist of either shared social, cultural,
religious or national emblems.
Without attempting to qualify either
component as carrying more weight
as compared to the other, let me speak
something about Message. Words are
powerful; words are also the main currency
in communication. Of course there’s also
the use of gestures, symbols, pictorials and
the like but I only speak of the main.
A cardinal rule in communication is that
the messaging should always carry a key
message. The key message is an adept
way of not only ensuring consistency in
the messaging but also helps in audience
comprehension and message recall.
The Communication
Context
For us to make rational sense of the entire
State of the Nation Address, let’s spare
a minute and put things in perspective
because nothing happens in a vacuum.
If anything, consider this as part of
what the sender (the Citizenry) put out
as his message before the receiver (the
President) gave his response (feedback).
Top of the country’s talk was corruption.
The President deliv-
ered a good speech
no doubt: non-divi-
sive, people clapped
and most cheered
him on, but is that
where it should end?
It need not end here.
If anything the real
work begins. Mea-
suring the impact of
communications is
the grey area unloved
by many but with a
mighty potential of
giving elaborate in-
sights.
40 MAL33/19 ISSUE
The address carried the sincerity of a fa-
ther that had heard the cries of his chil-
dren and he was making sure that every
child first understands that indeed he was
going to do something and that before he
does it; the children should all know that
he is doing what he is doing for the greater
good and out of love. That, punishment
is equally just a sign of love even though
it might feel painful for some time. Mr.
President, a 7 from me for being yourself.
Day in-day out our news had been
polluted by rivaling scandals of stupefying
amounts. It had been (still remains)
a never ending season of plunder and
blunder, so-to-speak. The citizens had
been united in sending out the message
of “stop this corruption madness” to the
President.
So shocking, saddening and even
frustrating had this been an issue to the
citizens that in every time-band, through
every medium and in all manner of
tones would you hear the people crying
out for real action. In fact, so loud and
repeated had this cry been that even
amidst momentous occasions of triumph
such as the Peter Tabichi story and heart
wrenching times such as the Dusit attack,
such stories only had their 2 minutes of
airtime in a constricted space of scandals.
That, the handshake jitters and the ‘silent’
cries from the jilted lover are what the
President was facing as he sat down to
pen his feedback to the nation. Don’t
forget too that whilst addressing all these
issues, the President, as is required by
law and In accordance with Article 132
of the Constitution, was also meant to
“report to Parliament the measures taken
and progress achieved in the realization
of the National Values set out in Article
10 of the Constitution, as well as the
progress made in fulfilling International
Obligations.”
Wow! A herculean task indeed.
Considering the dynamics of the audience,
the myriad of issues and the all-important
speech delivery KISS rule (Keep it Short
& Simple); just how thunderous was
the Commander in Chief ’s speech as
measured on the “Communication Richter
Scale.” Was it earth-shaking, did it vibrate
positively or was it just a polite tremor
that comes and goes without much ado?
“No Turning Back”
Give and take, this was the President’s key
message.
Folks, from the onset (less than 3 minutes
into his speech), the President pronounced
himself - “As President of the Republic of
Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the
Defence Forces, I have heard the cries
of our people, and their stated hopes and
aspirations for a better Kenya. When they
elected me as their President, I committed
to strive and unceasingly fulfil the trust
and confidence they placed in me. I will
not turn back on this commitment.”
In communication, writing without a key
message is as good as screaming against a
wall, there simply won’t be any chemistry
- no connection to what is being spoken.
In well-spaced-out intervals and after
touching on various issues, the President
consistently concluded his statements
with the punch line “…and on this one,
there is no turning back.”
“There is no turning back on government
reforms… There is no turning back on
fighting all enemies of Kenya …No turning
back on the obligations we have made in
the Big Four Agenda, …There will be
no turning back on the Building Bridges
Initiative that assures inclusion, cohesion,
unity and respect for all Kenyans. No
turning back on the war against corruption
as it is a just war, a war to prevent misuse