Role of communication in averting crisis

The evolution of PR professionals

By Doncaster Maboha

PR in its earliest days was known as the profession of generating press releases. Today, it has swiftly transformed to include social media and other modern platforms in adapting to the fast-changing society. PR agencies are consistently finding new ideas to establish connections to clients while the consumer base is getting smarter and more involved.

PR has received a total transformation, its key elements being information, persuasion, and building trust. Through the years, PR professionals have focused a large majority of their time on content creation. The development of the internet has made PR change drastically, moving from a broadcast model to an engagement model, which means that industry professionals are in a constant two-way conversation with the media.

PR professionals are now focusing less on traditional efforts, trying to make outreach and engagement with the media more organic. By doing so, we are conveying messages to the editors that are more natural and specific to their interests, rather than generic and regulated bulk emails.

The rise of digital technology has played a major role in the Public Relation industry’s evolution. 25 years ago, Public Relations wasn’t spearheaded by the digital services we have today. Where once traditional PR focused on offline visibility, distributing press releases and news in a one-way communication funnel, today digital PR has brought brands online, allowing them to broadcast information in real-time and have an actual conversation with their audiences.

It’s evident that over the last 25 years, PR has evolved in many different ways, across a variety of platforms. PR is now driven by digital. We must now consider how, where and what consumers interact with via these networks, restructuring entirely how we as PR professionals reach our audiences.

Emergence of citizen journalism

The Internet has also created the ability to have instant, two-way conversations. With the internet, the public can post comments on stories in real-time. This has created a shift in the balance of power, as well as the role of the audience.

It also created a shift in the role and responsibility of PR professionals. Our role has now transformed from crafting and pitching a story to monitoring stories around the clock and being prepared to do damage control if the public reacts adversely to a story.

Social media expanded the number of channels and formats available for public relations. It also expanded the reach of the internet and the role of the individual in the PR conversation. Individuals can host blogs, YouTube channels, websites, Instagram stories, Facebook posts, Facebook live videos, and podcasts; some of which have become as popular as major news networks.

In other words, individuals can become the media or comment on, like, and share stories on major media platforms. Both cases have helped further expand the functions and responsibilities of public relations, with the unique requirements needed for each platform.

Thanks to the internet and social media, stories now have the potential to go viral very quickly. They can be shared from offline to online and across various social media, as technology has made it easy to click and share.

Smartphones with internet access have given us the ability to be reached wherever we are. People carry their phones with them everywhere, so access to the audience is instant.

The digital age continues to impact how we communicate, and public relations has no choice but to stay ahead of the game in order to leverage on the power of the new age platforms.

The future of young professionals in the PR industry

By Joan Masinde

The state of the industry

The public relations industry may appear more casual and unstructured to outsiders, but those within are familiar with its organization know what is needed in order to ascend to the top.

Universities prepare students for the workplace by allowing them to stage mock events, write press releases and through interning to get a better understanding of the order and hierarchy in a newsroom. While all this may be important and works as a strong foundation of what public relations is, the reality of the matter is that in practice, it is who you know and which networks you have that can be leveraged for mutual benefit.

The realness of the industry may be felt at entry level and if one is lucky, during internship.

Once one steps into their entry level job, they need to ascertain their position in this field before drowning into the daily comings and goings of a job or career.

The place of young professionals in the industry

The public relations field is saturated. The industry looks glittery to prospective students, and it may be more attractive than most courses. The interest of graduates and young professionals is constant as the profession is associated with glamour. From entry level to becoming a fully experienced practitioner, one must understand the dynamism of the industry. Young professional must understand there is a need to get their hands dirty. Public relations is fast paced, with crazy deadlines and one must be driven and tenacious, so as not to just survive but to thrive. The industry requires its practitioners, both young and experienced, to have confidence, flexibility and commitment in order to be steady in their growth. Young professionals are tasked with executing the vision of the clients, and are required to serve time in the trenches in order to gain experience. The industry is dynamic and constantly shifting to adapt to global trends, so expectations in the workplace may change from time to time and they must be able to mimic the industry in its agility to morph into what the world needs at any given moment. The need to soak in the experiences and develop a thick skin as they climb up the ladder is a necessity if they want to create their space in the industry.

What the future holds

The pandemic has brought forth the challenges, loopholes and gaps in the industry. The ability for virtual product releases and online press conferences has opened new doors and provided new possibilities for those in the industry. This is an opportunity for young professionals to quickly grasp the dynamics of change and anticipate similar incidents in the future. Now more than ever, they need to curve their own space in the industry.

With the flexibility of flexi-time, the opportunities to create a better future for those who will take over the industry abound, as the barriers of physical have been removed to make way for a fluid, global economy.

Fortunately, because this is a teamoriented profession, we rely on each other to produce the best results for our clients – from media strategy to pitching to content. Old ways and new possibilities must come together to accommodate the young professionals in the industry in order for the industry to remain relevant and to attain a future that brands can count on.

Colin E Church OBE, FPRSK, Fellow CIPR 28 January 1940 - 16 March 2021

Colin Church, who died in Nairobi on 16 March 2021, aged 81, could be described as one of Kenya’s greatest conservationists. For 12 years – 2000 to 2012 – he served as Chairman of the Management Committee of the Rhino Ark Charitable Trust, overseeing the completion of the electric fence surrounding the Aberdares as well as the fence around Mount Eburru in the Mau Escarpment. The Aberdare fence was commissioned by President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga in 2009. Colin Church’s tenure in office also saw the remarkable expansion of the Rhino Charge as a principal fundraiser for the charity.

Colin Church served as Chairman of the Kenya Wildlife Service, Chairman of the Mara Conservancy Project, and was honoured by the Queen in 2018 with the award of the OBE for services to conservation. But he made another contribution to his country, Kenya, as one of the doyens of the public relations profession forming, with Patrick Orr in 1975, Church Orr & Associates, which rose to be the largest PR firm in the region at that time, focusing on travel, tourism and business promotion. Together, with Jesse Opembe and other consultants, they established the Public Relations Society of Kenya (PRCA) in 1971 giving credibility and professionalism to the industry. He was subsequently elected President of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA), the global body representing the industry – the first and only Kenyan to be elected. With a broad range of social contacts, he served too as Chairman of the Muthaiga Country Club.

Colin spent his latter years living near Lake Naivasha in the shadow of the Aberdares, to which he made frequent visits. He wrote and published a book on the Aberdares, “Mel-el-Lek’s Mountain – place of mystery, drama and compelling events in Kenya’s unfolding story”, which was widely and favourably reviewed.

Colin was a man of the ‘bundu’, never happier than on safari or fishing at the coast. He is survived by his wife Nicole and their son Marcus, and his daughters Antonia, Tanya and Julie.

Patrick Orr Founder, PRSK and Church Orr & Associates Executive Chairman, Raitt Orr & Associates, London, UK

A personal tribute to Colin Church by Steve Lawrence

My first meeting with Colin Church almost 40 years ago changed my life. I was then working in Nairobi as an editor on the Daily Nation and was keen to expand my career in journalism into the exciting new world of public relations. I was struck immediately by Colin’s cool professionalism, good humour and evident business acumen and found in him the inspiration to launch myself into an industry in which he was already pre-eminent.

It was Colin’s offer of a retainer and a desk within Church Orr & Associates’ Nairobi office that set me on the first rung of a rewarding career spanning several countries and decades. For some three years as an independent consultant, I worked closely with Colin, and with his encouragement and coaching found myself representing several high-profile clients across Africa – a seminal experience which helped me articulate a vision of working across both the developing and developed worlds.

I remember Colin most for his generosity of spirit and a light touch which offered guidance while influencing one to think and work in creative and original ways. Colin’s ability to deal calmly and fairly with people, and diffuse occasional tensions in a challenging business and political environment, taught me skills which I carried into a career that several years later saw me as a partner of Raitt Orr & Associates, a leading London Government and Public Relations consultancy run by Colin’s friend and business associate Patrick Orr. Colin also supported my membership to the Public Relations Society of Kenya which he had founded more than a decade earlier.

It is unlikely that without Colin’s practical support, incisive advice and, I am sure on many occasions, patience that I would have departed the comfort zone of a secure expatriate role on a newspaper and embarked on a then less travelled, but infinitely more exciting, professional path. The words ‘guru’ and ‘legend’ are used often in a PR industry occasionally given to hyperbole, but applied, as they have been by many in recent days, to Colin, they are not only entirely apposite, but only barely do justice to his rich legacy.

I suspect I am but one of many to have been influenced by Colin Church whom I will long remember, not just for providing me with inspiration at a crossroads of both life and career, but also for being a kind, courteous and intelligent man worthy of that most rare and honourable of epithets: He always paid on time.

Steve Lawrence Phuket, Thailand 19 March 2021

With his loss, the PR profession and fraternity in Kenya has a big gap. Colin was not just a communications expert. He transcended the then narrow path of PR and gave our profession a huge boost by introducing high level stakeholder engagement pathways for us all.

He moved into conservation and left an indelible mark there with his Rhino conservation project. Colin bestowed on PR in Kenya and internationally the much needed image boost and gave it the influence it needed at the high tables of corporate and government decision making.

We all owe him a huge debt of gratitude today. May his soul rest in eternal peace! Shabanji Opukah, FPRSK and former chair, PRSK Colin Church My mentor. And professional counsellor.

Had a soft spot for me. And believed in my ability. And me! And that’s what I needed to launch out into consultancy. He gave me the wings to charge into the wild, at a time I so badly needed validation.

Thank you, Colin for being a true professional friend.

Rest well.

Kentice Kitololo, FPRSK and former chair, PRSK

Lorna Irungu-Macharia

COVID-19 has robbed us of our professional colleague and friend, Lorna Irungu-Macharia. A dedicated PR professional and mentor who gave her time to the growth of the PR profession. She was always readily available to mentor our student members through the PR@360 program.

We fondly remember her when she hosted Omo Pick-a-Box, a popular TV game show from the early 90s, Club Kiboko, when rocked our airwaves during her days at Nation FM and later on as the Managing Director at Gina Din Communications where she was always ready to use her talents to champion a cause. Her prowess in creative writing was evident in all the campaigns she did.

To the family and friends, we pray that you may find comfort through the memories you shared with Lorna.

Till we meet again, Rest in perfect Peace dear Lorna.

Mrs Jennifer Wambua

I have learnt of the untimely passing on of our dear professional colleague and friend Madam Jennifer Wambua. The cruel hand of death has robbed this country of a dedicated mentor, civil servant and public communications management professional.

Having joined the civil service as an Information Officer, Mrs Wambua distinguished herself as a dependable and diligent officer rising through the ranks from the Kenya News Agency (KNA) field beat to the Deputy Director of Public Communications position at the National Land Commission. Her gentle and mother figure persona endeared her to colleagues and other stakeholders alike. She was always a notable figure at many of our PRSK events and related professional development forums.

The circumstances relating to the death are unsettling as they are shocking. On behalf of the PRSK membership, I wish to petition the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), led by our professional colleague and friend Mr George Kinoti to expend the necessary energy to ensure the perpetrators of this heinous crime are brought to book.

To the family and friends, please take heart and remain comforted as we celebrate her life. From all of us at PRSK, even as we convey our sincere message of condolences, we also pray that the Almighty will grant you strength and fortitude during this trying moment.

Eternal rest grant unto Mrs Wambua, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her. May her soul, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Role of communication in averting crisis

By Dennis Okore

We have experienced a myriad of crises these past couple of months, ranging from floods, locust invasion and most recently the corona virus pandemic. Different counties have had to deal with varied crises, but the common thing has been the impact that has destabilized various systems of government and the population in the counties. There has been a paradigm shift in crisis management in Kenya where uncertainty, adaptiveness, and improvisation replace certainty, goal orientation, and control. This should also be coupled by re-orienting our minds from defining crisis from the angle of the negative press coverage that the governor or the county will be given – the truth is that the issue is bigger than the confines of positive coverage and outlook.

Averting disasters that later create crises has posed challenges in the counties due to the lack of robust communication strategies to inform early warning systems and risk mitigation strategies¬¬. In other instances, it is the resistance by populations that impedes the establishment of mitigation plans. Here the populations deliberately or through the influence of other factors are not able to adopt the desired and recommended behavior change practice to avert or manage a crisis. Due to the importance of communications in every facet of society, communication strategies will either prevent a crisis from happening or manage its impact.

The county governments have the sole responsibility of both leading and coordinating the crisis mitigation on many fronts. Communication strategies should be integrated into the County Integrated Development Plans (CIDPs) which stipulate the various development pathways that will be taken to achieve certain political aspirations. While implementing the CIDPs, counties are expected to coordinate with the national government agencies.

It is this coordination that in some instances has been the source of crisis due to inefficiencies in the bureaucratic machinery. The Intergovernmental Relations Technical Committee (IGRTC), a body formed by an Act of Parliament to establish a framework for consultation and co-operation between the National and County Governments and amongst county governments was one of the ways to manage this situation from a legal perspective. Additionally, the Council of Governors (CoG) has played a critical role in supporting the counties in mitigating risks and articulating some of the aspirations of the counties by providing a collective voice to amplify the underlying issues.

Understanding the risks

Lack of a coordinated knowledge base of the events and occurrences that could pose Risks and threats to the counties is a factor that creates a green pasture for negative impacts to escalate. This can include knowing the weather patterns or other issues and correlating these patterns with other counties, national, regional and global trends then drawing local scenarios.

Preparedness and response capacity The reliability of communication channels, timeliness, early warning messages is linked to the escalating effect and impact of a crisis. Communication is done using simple language, and where possible traditional systems and tools are incorporated as an essential ingredient of mobilizing stakeholders and the public to averting an escalation of crises due to natural disasters. The COVID-19 pandemic brought the best effort from both public and private

sectors, but it was evident the counties lagged in communicating and operated in a crisis mode when the numbers started escalating. The heavy lifting of communication was silently left to the Council of Governor’s (CoG) secretariat. In some of the counties, the leadership did know what to communicate to the anxious public.

Follow-up and warning services

These sources include agencies with data that can help in forecasting and monitoring potential Risks. They are like watchdogs whose work is to alert the county government when they sense any danger for early action. Apart from the national weather warnings from the Kenya Meteorological Department the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA), Ministry of Health (in the case of Covid-19 Pandemic) counties still have not taken steps to tap into this information and ensure uptake at the local level by contextualizing the messages.

How then can communicators offer direction during crisis?

Risk Communication Systems

Crisis communication operates in a parallel fashion to disaster communication and business continuity. Therefore, County Governments must include crisis communication in their daily operations and ensure that crisis information is ready to be released to the public. Additionally, existing communication strategies must be regularly reviewed in line with changing realities in the counties and further recommendations made.

Internal and partner coordination

Different partners including health care workers, agencies, community leaders, and any other relevant stakeholders should be identified, and their capacity and competencies considered. These are useful resources when a crisis strikes. The communication capacities of these partners should be assessed, and their potential communication channels of synergy identified. They can anticipate potential roles and responsibilities in the wake of a crisis.

Public communication

A roster of spokespersons should be reviewed, and their expertise listed. If necessary, they can be trained on how to communicate during a crisis besides their core functions. Messages to be disseminated should be produced and pre-tested. Media and communication channels should be identified and their potential of reaching the target audience identified.

Communication engagement with affected communities

Target audiences should be identified and information concerning their knowledge and behaviors should be gathered. Existing community influencers and networks such as community leaders (chiefs, sub-chiefs), traditional herbalists, religious leaders, health workers, community health volunteers, women’s groups, can be used as a media for crisis communication and community engagement.

Addressing uncertainty, perceptions, and misinformation management

Communication should be done early, and systems should be established to monitor and respond to rumors, misinformation, and frequently asked questions. This is normally what extends the impact of a crisis if not managed well. Crisis communication will often contain business continuity messages.

Dennis Okore is a Communications and Public Policy Consultant at www.sus-afric.org

#KenyaWomenSeries

March being the International Women’s Month, we feature stories about women trailblazers whose contribution to the Society cannot be ignored. This edition of #KenyaWomenSeries is proudly brought to you by Patience Nyange. Have a good read!

Commissioner Jedidah Waruhiu

Drum rolls please, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Mrs. Jedidah Wakonyo Waruhiu.

Organized by the ICJ Kenya, The Jurist of the Year Award is held annually and seeks to give recognition, acknowledgement and encouragement to jurists who have consistently, fearlessly and impartially promoted the rule of law and human rights in Kenya during the year. In her own words, she describes her journey, “As a young law student, I was taught to take the law to the Community by Kituo cha Sheria. I build on those baby steps to land at the International Commission of Jurists in 1995 promising disruption to the status quo and service to humanity. I have not wavered.”

“This Jurist of the Year Award means a lot to me. It is a privilege and an honour to be recognized, celebrated and cited for service to the disadvantaged, marginalized and the vulnerable people within our Republic, Kenya. “I dedicate this award to all the unsung heroes and sheroes of the year 2020 who continue to risk their lives and families, to go out of their way and beyond the call of duty to protect these rights. Those in the health fraternity. The human rights defenders. Our spiritual leaders. Thank you.”

In 2016 March, I joined the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights working at the Chairpersons office. KNCHR had four Commissioner’s whom I worked very closely with almost daily. In addition to the Chair, the other three Commissioners included Haki Morara, Chivutsia and this beautiful woman Commissioner Jedidah. Jedidah, who is a wife, a mother of four, defines herself as a born-again Christian and a member of the Women’s Guild and also teaches children in Sunday school. She’s an advocate of the High Court of Kenya and a human rights defender for over 25years now with a particular focus on access to justice in respect to penal, security, refugee and paralegals. As part of my orientation, she invited me to her office and took me through a crash course of sorts, Human Rights 101. Nearly five years later, I still remember our

conversation. One thing struck me, her humility and accommodative nature. She left me feeling like I had known her for many years. We would later share, many intimate moments, including driving to various places during fieldwork. She’s very soft-spoken. Yes, she is; a silent disruptor of the status quo. Yet inside her, she’s such a beautiful human being many young women will fall in love with, at first sight. Her amiable nature, welcoming and patient is one that most will point out concerning Commissioner Jedidah. Could all her many interns raise their hands, please? Thank you.

Commissioner Jedidah is not the kind of person to take anyone for granted. Any little assistance given to her is well appreciated, complete with a written text. Well, in an email she wrote to me a week ago, she said, “We have worked closely at KNCHR which was our meeting point in a cordial, sacrificial and supportive role. Patience, it is because of the support and technical communication advisory you gave to me including PR mentorship that my public service work with KNCHR was achievable and impactful to many, many marginalized people. I am proud to know and continue associating and working with you. I salute you, my sister.”

Well, you know how many bosses don’t even acknowledge receipt of emails. Three days later you are left wondering, did my email get lost in the cloud. The deliberate art of appreciating people, everyone, regardless of how small their contribution is, is an art I learnt from Comm Jedidah. Thank you. But how do other people describe her? I sought answers, and all these resonate too well with Commissioner Jedidah that I was too privileged to share an office with. They describe her as humble, insightful, committed, selfless, intelligent, hardworking, a mentor, courageous, meticulous, patient and a good speaker. Others call her, Mama Paralegal while the intersex community call her “ Mama Yetu”. For the 1st time, I heard people describe her as a spider, meaning, one who builds tight webs around people. Allow me at this point to say, there will be many people I will meet in my life’s journey, and there are many that I will forget. But, Comm Jedidah is not a woman I will forget. Let me explain. I recently cleared my studies from Cardiff University in the UK. I joined Cardiff University in September 2019 as a #Chevening student. Well, until I landed at KNCHR in 2016, I had never heard of #Chevening Scholarship. Comm. Jedidah is a Chevening scholar for the year 2002/03 who studied International Human Rights at the University of Nottingham in the UK.

In one of those random conversations along the KNCHR corridors, Jedidah introduced me to Chevening, and as they say, the rest is history. Thank you for giving me a chance of a lifetime and guiding me through it all. I have written about this whole engagement on my blog post here https://www.patiencenyange. com/my-chevening-journey-connectingmy-dots/. My point is, Comm Jedidah is the kind of genuine, selfless human being who is happy to add value to you if you are privileged enough to find yourself in her life. Thank you Comm Jedidah. While at school, I worked extremely hard because you believed and trusted in me, even when there were many instances when I doubted myself.

So what are her guiding values? I ask. Integrity

This is because it’s essential to be authentic at all times and do things decently without greed or pride. With integrity, you can honestly give yourself to society or to a cause without expecting anything in return, including appreciation because the intension was not rewarded. Further integrity goes beyond money; it includes the use of other resources like time, skill and assets, including office or another person’s materials.

Excellence

Excellence is key to the quality of work expected. It means that one focuses on the best results of the task at hand irrespective of whether the task irrespective of whether the task is remunerated or not. It also means that one can serve a disadvantaged or vulnerable or poor person with excellence and total commitment and dedication, just like one would do a rich person for a good pay.

Once again, congratulations Commissioner Jedidah Wakonyo. Your journey in fighting for the rights of the downtrodden is valued and appreciated.

Caren Wakoli

She calls herself a student of life, a product of God’s grace and a lover of life. She’s very passionate about equipping and preparing leaders for greater impact, intentional legacies and transformed communities.

In 2009, I joined the University of Nairobi to pursue a Masters Degree in International Studies and Diplomacy. This is where I first met Caren Wakoli. Well, most of us had always imagined she was a daughter to the renowned politician Bifoli Wakoli. So the question, “Are you Bifoli’s daughter always came up” to which she would shyly laugh it off.

After my second semester, I deferred and left the country for Norway. Though I would later come back to join a different class, our friendship had already taken off so we promised to keep in touch.

The best thing that happened at the UoN is that we met other amazing women and formed a support system for life. No doubt a woman alone has power but together we have impact. Rita Maingi, Besty Namisi, Caren Wakoli and I celebrated our 10 years of sisterhood in 2019.

It is said that true friends have not only heard of your stories, they have lived through them. The three of us have lived through Caren’s dream of seeing ELF become a reality. Her passion for young people was so evident and she spoke about it in such a way that we all bought into the idea of ELF when it was only but @Caren Wakoli made news for being the only woman that former US President Barack Obama publicly acknowledged during his 2018 lecture at the 100th anniversary of South African antiapartheid revolutionary Nelson Mandela. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=ydje8BjPFZQ

In his speech, President Barack Obama singled out Caren as one of the young Africans he is very proud of and celebrated her for the good work she was doing in Kenya; mentoring Kenyan youth as way of eradicating poverty in Kenya.

“I am so in love with working with young people - just calling out the leaders in them, getting them to realize they have a voice and that they matter. Helping them know that the answers they seek are within, and that they can be anything they want to be and they can do anything they want to do, as long they keep the focus, determination and consistently take action.”

Caren, is a certified life and leadership coach, transformational leadership trainer and a champion for integrity and good governance. She trained and worked as a journalist briefly before finding her true love – being a youth worker. She then quit to do what she does now. Cumulatively, she has 17 years’ experience in supporting and empowering young people.

“I see so much value in this work that even when I get to 90 years, I see myself still advocating for youth inclusion and meaningful youth engagement by governments and institutions. I realized at a young age that leadership is everything. Leadership is a matter of life or death, depending on how it is executed.”

But why young people?

Youth is the most definitive stage of one’s life and if only young people can do with a little guidance, support and mentorship, they get to set strong foundations for their careers, families, amongst other things. know the future of any nation, look at the state of its young people. That’s why I believe it is our duty as a society to invest in our young people – education, innovation, opportunities etc, so that they become active participants in the shaping of the national agenda and the destiny of the nation.

During her undergraduate days at UoN, Caren was the first female to be elected Vice Chairperson of SONU and had previously been elected for two terms consecutively – as Congress Lady and Gender Affairs Secretary. So out of curiosity I ask, “What prompted your decision to pursue leadership roles at a young age?

“I believe that the quality of our life is directly proportional to the quality of leaders we have. Like John Maxwell aptly puts it, everything rises and falls on leadership. I grew up seeing all manner of vulnerabilities and inequalities. The sting of poverty and lack of equal access to opportunities for many Kenyan families is painful.

But guess what, this is not the natural design of things – we are all meant to live in dignity. I believe that we have all we need to take care of all of us, but not enough to satisfy the greed of a few. That’s why leadership matters a great deal.”

So, at a young age, I decided to start learning and understanding what leadership is all about. For instance, who is a great leader? What makes one a great leader? How are leaders made? I asked and still ask these questions even as I practise leadership in my sphere of influence.

By the time I joined the UoN, I didn’t know many things but I was sure of one thing; that I wanted to be a leader. And a leader I became, and leadership I practise. I am so glad that my journey and purpose have led me to nurturing and growing the next generation of values-based African leaders. I do this every single day and I am so fulfilled.

So what do you consider some of your major achievements?

My career journey has been interesting. I spent the early part of my career doing voluntary work in both corporate and civil society, and it paid off. I acquired skills in writing, events management, training and human rights work. That’s why I am a big proponent of volunteerism because it provides room to learn, build your CV, grow networks and decide what path one wishes to take in life.

From doing voluntary work, I then joined the media where I worked as a news reporter, radio presenter and writer. I thoroughly enjoyed working on documentaries and highlighting stories of ordinary Kenyans doing some extraordinary work in their communities.

After three years, it was clear to me that although the work I did was good, some other work was more fulfilling – empowering and equipping young people to be the best they can be. I did the unavoidable; I quit my job and founded Emerging Leaders Foundation to do exactly that- raise young Kenyans as active responsible citizens who lead change in their communities.

The process of starting an organization from scratch to where it is now has been tough but with so many lessons. A few lessons that I’ve learnt: 1. All things start small. 2. Consistency pays. 3. Teamwork is important. 4. Character trumps talent. and many other lessons.

In the course of my career life, I got opportunities to serve on different boards and this exposed me to leadership at such a high level that I needed to learn new skills to thrive and be productive. In the past I’ve mostly served on boards of parastatals such as NACADA, National Council of the African Peer Review Mechanism, Uwezo Fund, Nairobi County Youth Oversight Board (Chairperson) and National Committee of Nyumba Kumi.

Currently, I serve on these boards: UNDP Youth Sounding Board, The Youth Congress (Chairperson), Siasa Place, YALI East Africa, DSW and Impact Africa Industries. spaces are; taking part in making policies that protect and enable young people to thrive, contributing to changing the narrative about youth i.e. young people don’t want hand outs they just need access to opportunities and they will turnaround their lives etc.

From your experience working with young people, what do you find to be the three most common mistakes they make that sabotage them and what advice would you give them to avert this?

They chase after the money – money is good, but pursuing passion has a lasting impact on one’s life. In the initial stages, it may be difficult to make money pursuing passion or purpose but keep showing up with enthusiasm and one day people will start paying you to do what you love. Don’t follow money, money follows ideas, so think ideas and execute them.

Many youth wait for situations to be ‘perfect’ to get started i.e. they wait to have the right amount of money, right location, right institution, right partners…etc. I have since learnt that there is nothing like ‘perfect’ in this life. Start where you are with what you have and then rest will unfold in the fullness of time.

The other mistake is that many feel they are too young to make a difference. I tell people all the time that you are never too young or too old to make a difference. Most innovation in the world or change across the globe has been led by young people. Young people do matter. Their lives matter.

They need to find their voices and talents and use them to leave a mark in this life. And they must not sit out and wait to be called upon to speak or make their contribution. They can create their own tables or invite themselves to the decision-making tables and make their contribution.

Your organisation ELF is known for developing leadership skills especially among the youth. Why do you believe this is important?

When you sit back and look at our society, something so critical is missing – good leadership. Young people being the majority of the population - over 72% of the total population, they can lead the change they want to see. All change starts at a personal level.

At ELF we believe that everyone is a leader but we need to call out the leader in them and bring them to that realization that they are the change they have been waiting for. We equip the young people with information, skills and the right values and expose them to great role models and mentors who they can emulate and learn from.

After 9 years, Caren believes that the work is beginning to bear fruits. There is hope for tomorrow. There is a crop of young people who are saying no to corruption and yes to good governance. There is a crop of young leaders that are leading from a place of values and ethics and are succeeding. There is a crop of young women and men who are holding duty-bearers to account and are also accountable to those they lead – whether at school, at home, in organizations etc.

If we want sustainable change in society – we must start with children and young people, so that as they grow older and take up leadership roles, they will already have an understanding of what is expected of them and how they can go about delivering the same with integrity. Integrity matters.

What are some practical things you would advise any young person to do to be a leader at whatever stage of their career they are in?

Keep learning – You are never too young or too old to learn. Learning is a lifelong journey and it’s tragic when we stop learning because that’s when we begin to die. Right now there are many avenues through which we can learn – read books, listen to podcasts, converse with mentors/coaches, social media, films etc. Deliberately make a point to learn and grow your mind every single day.

Keep showing up, no matter what – There are days when you will feel, exhausted and even wish to give up. Don’t. Encourage yourself to keep

showing up. 80% of success in life is as a result of showing up. Even if it means crawling out of bed, limping, or pushing yourself, please do so and keep showing up. Trust the process, it will make sense someday.

Go the extra mile – The only place with no traffic jam is the extra-mile. Go beyond what is required of you and apply your heart and soul into whatever it is you do. Someone is always watching.

Find yourself a mentor – mentors play an important role in guiding us and sharing their stories. You cannot make all the mistakes by yourself. Learn from others who have gone before you.

Speak up – There is power in speaking up. Even if your voice shakes, speak your truth. It will set you free.

Define your values and stand up for them. Values will take you far. Don’t take shortcuts, they will kill you ooh!

If you were to choose three values that are most important to you that you live by and shape the way you work, live, and run your organisation, what would they be and why?

Eunice Kilonzo is a nine time-award winning storyteller and journalist with extensive hands-on experience in organisational communications and media management across various sectors such as health, science, environment, technology, financial services and development.

Her career journey in the Media and Communications industry started in Service – We find ourselves when we give our lives in service of others. Find a place you can make yourself useful and selflessly serve. People who serve others live purposeful lives. And while at it, take good care of yourself so that you are not pouring from an empty cup.

Dignity – I believe we all need to treat one another with respect and dignity regardless of status, age, gender, economic status, titles etc. I also believe that we all need to live in dignity and leaders play a key role in ensuring that the people they lead are living good quality and dignified lives.

Faith – Nothing in this life can be achieved without a strong belief in something. Believe in your God-given abilities to live an exemplary life that makes a difference in the lives of others. Believe that you have all it takes to be successful and to live the life you have always dreamt of.

While I was curious to hear how other people describe her, I asked her to describe herself. “I say I am a live soul, I am a dreamer, I am an afro-optimist, I am simply human.” Well, there are many descriptions of @carenwakoli, -fierce, go-getter, bold, quiet, shy, self-effacing, humble and simply, the girl next door.

If you had a chance to create a totally new world for young people, what would you wish for in their new world and what are you doing to create this change now? I wish for a world where they are the centre of policy and decision-making processes, where they are heard, where they shape national discourse, where there is inter-generational discourse and collaboration.

Caren is known for her love of this quote, “The tragedy in life is not death, but living a life without purpose.” She considers the joy of finding her life purpose as one of her greatest achievement. “It’s a journey worth pursuing. I am a strong believer in the essence of knowing thyself and doing the inner work, before attempting to change the world or make a dent.”

As we usher in a New Year, @ EstherKiragu and I are committing to bring you stories of incredible, inspiring, powerhouse #KenyaWomenSeries, each week. @Esther assists me in editing and curating these stories. She is a Writer, Editor, and Communication professional in Kenya. Thank you, I love doing these stories with you.

Eunice Kilonzo

high school, where she was involved in writing and public speaking. She kept her passion for paper and pen alive even while at the University of Nairobi, where she pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, Communications and Literature.

Eunice Kilonzo honed her writing skills by contributing to various campus newsletters and publications. Her efforts did not go unrewarded as she earned a three-month Communications internship at the Koinonia Media Center as a first-year student! This was a stepping-stone to yet other seven-month media internship at PATH, a global team of innovators working to accelerate health equity.

At PATH, Eunice Kilonzo was attached to the G-PANGE youth program during

her second-year in campus. This was her entry into health communications, a field Eunice is passionate about and known for.

Her love for writing opened yet another opportunity in 2013 by the time she did her final paper. “I had an offer to join the Nation Media Group Media Lab program. Embracing humble beginnings with zeal and zest, I started as a cub reporter and advanced to become a health beat reporter, then Senior Health Journalist.

By the time I left four years later, I was committed to putting great health stories from across the country and the world - on the front pages. I am proud that during my time, this was possible,” she says.

Transitioning from the newsroom

Eunice Kilonzo’s desire to advance her career as a health journalist irked her curiosity to read countless research papers.

But one thing was evident when she called up scientists, she could feel them struggle to express themselves. She saw the opportunity to support health researchers and scientists to tell their stories. This is how she joined the African Population and Health Center in mid-2017 as a Communications Officer. Determined to excel, Eunice worked with over 250 PhD researchers across the continent to help them amplify their work.

My work involved reading a lot of science and medical research and then unpacking it into simple to understand content.” While at APHC, Eunice Kilonzo did an Executive Certificate in Global Health Diplomacy at the Graduate Institute, Geneve. This course broadened her perspective on global health.

Eunice Kilonzo was not settled yet. Three years later, her desired to diversify her writing skills pushed her to apply for a short-term consultancy at the UN Environment Program (UNEP). She was tasked to write and produce social media content about coral reefs!

“If I was to become a multi-faceted storyteller, I had to do something UNEP offered multicultural experiences, appreciation of multilateralism and of life below water,” she says and adds, afterwards, I got yet another chance to join Safaricom PLC as a Manager, Content Generation. This is where I currently work.

2. Please talk to us about how these have shaped your career.

• Mentorship

I am here because of the mentorship and support by some of my seniors along my career journey. As a way of giving back, I am now mentoring ten young women on matters careers, jobs and personal branding. I am also a mentor at the Global Give Back Circle, a long-distance mentorship program in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation.

• Networking

This, you must do. Invest in your relationships and be very intentional with who is in your circles. If a network does not serve or support you in the way, you would like, either amend it or leave it. But, do not be the sponge in your network; what value are you adding? Take stock as often as you can.

• Career risks (Taking on new challenges/roles)

“Take risks! Curious to try out a new job in a new country? Yes, please do. You will learn. You will grow. Almost all my career moves have been risks. I always tell myself: go where the story leads you.

Be prudent, do your homework and research (through your networks etc.) and then make a move. One of my mentees is on her way to Amsterdam for a communications job. Is she scared? Yes. But is she qualified and going all the same!” So feel the fear and do it anyway.

• Getting out of your comfort zone

If it’s comfortable (unless it’s a pair of shoes or pants), you are not growing. Re-invent yourself as much as possible. Beyond health journalism/ communications, I think of myself as a multimedia storyteller. Next time, I may be Eunice, the global content strategist.

• Continuous learning

The skills and experiences that got you here won’t take you there. Lookup for new courses, save up and sign up. As a communicator, being skilled in diverse disciplines offers you a helicopter view of interconnected issues. Also, on learning, it is okay not to know. There is no shame in that. We all don’t know everything.

3. What’s the best work-related advice you’ve ever received that you applied and has borne tremendous results?

Jaindi Kisero, a veteran writer and journalist, once told us during a Media Lab class while at Nation Media Group, “As a journalist, you must be capable of having the thoughts of an expert and the words of a gossip.” This helps me a lot when I struggle to tell complex stories. I pause and ask: how would a gossip column tell this story?

4. You are in a management role as the Manager, Content Generation at Safaricom PLC. What does the role mean for you and other young women who look up to you? Any leadership lessons that you’ve learnt so far?

I love to tell stories, and this role accords me that opportunity and more. I get very excited when I get a chance to brainstorm potential stories and then think of creative ways to use multimedia content to serve that purpose. As a Manager, I have picked up three key leadership lessons to date: Teamwork, excellence and curiosity.

• On teamwork, while I can shoot videos and photos and probably record podcasts, I am part of a team with people whose skill in these areas are much better than mine. Therefore, teamwork allows each individual to contribute in a way that complements all our shortcomings. Working as a team is really similar to how a system works. When all parts do their specialised work, then the benefit for the whole is much more significant than when, say, the eye tries to do what the ear is well-designed for.

• Excellence is all about quality: it has

to be outstanding and excellent. As communicators, we are judged not only for what we produce but also for how we produce it. This reality has taught me to pursue quality over quantity consistently. Check out a platform that I am very proud of; Safaricom Newsroom, which produces great multimedia content.

• Finally, my role entails finding the story, telling it and getting it out there. Therefore, curiosity is such a critical skill to have. A leader, I believe, has to stay curious. The impulse to seek new information, experiences and explore novel possibilities is inherently human. “I have discovered, when I am curious, I tend to view tough situations more creatively.”

I always have a message to all my mentees, “There are no shortcuts in life. Society may trick you into thinking there are, but you have to put in the work. Do your very best. Be a team player, pursue excellence and stay curious.”

5. If you were to choose two most important values to you that you live by and that shape the way you work and live, what would they be and why?

Service and commitment are the two most important values that I live by and shape how I work and live. • Service: Pour yourself in all that you do. Serve as though you are serving God. I go all out in all that I do. Be it at work, my friendships, mentorship, marriage, family and to my country.

• Commitment: Always keep your word. If I say I will do something or deliver something, I ensure I see the end of it. When I put my mind to something, I stay committed till the end.

6. How do you describe yourself, and how do others describe you?

I describe myself as curious, a passionate storyteller and a problem-solver. I think my friends and family will more or less say the same thing too. There are almost no surprises about me.

7. You have a super busy life, do you ever unplug from work?

Yes, women need to unplug and recharge. And everyone needs to do so. This is where my djembe story comes in. I play the drum. I have a very musical mind, and somehow, my mind thinks in beats and connections.

Well, we know Jane for the many hats she wears. She’s a Chevening Scholar like me. She lived in Cardiff (like me, in the year 1996). She is currently the Head of Corporate Communication at the Kenya Seed Company and the Chair of Greenbelt Movement, Kenya. Together we share a number of professional groups including @PRSK and @Network for Media and PR Women in Kenya.

In 2018, @Jane my friend @Wavi and I found ourselves as judges for the #ZuriAwards2019. For the first time, I got a chance to spend time with Jane and through my interaction with her, I am justified to call her my senior in all ways. She is, exactly that.

Jane describes herself as a confident, relaxed, passionate, innovative, citizen of the world committed to her tasks. “Every time I have an assignment to pursue, I put in my best foot forward.” #KenyaWomenSeries

I started story telling from the fireside chats I had with my grandmother during my school holidays many years ago. These stories fascinated me so much I ended up retelling them to my parents in the evenings and my classmates in the day.

I started writing them as well and got published in the children’s magazine “Rainbow” when I was 10 years old and in the Children’s Nation when I was in Form 2. My Form 3 English teacher prophesied that I would be a journalist. She had seen something special in me.

Jane Gitau

In Form 5 a different teacher predicted that I would be a Public Relations Officer (PRO) apparently because I had good people’s relations. Until then, I had never heard the term PRO. This expression through writing continues to date. It shaped my career choice at a difficult time. science student. His second choice for me was teaching but then again I wasn’t keen on youngsters. I liked to be around older people asking questions and writing the answers down. So I struggled to find something with writing in it.

I was brought up around church so after completing high school I found church-based writing spaces at Step (Youth for Christ) and Beyond (NCCK) magazines, All Africa Press Service (All Africa Conference of Churches-AACC). I then trained at the All-Africa Literature Centre in Kitwe Zambia which was part of AACC.

As my dream crystalized, I joined the media before moving back to the Church this time combining my writing passion with the serious issues around democracy and human rights in which the church was engaged. Since then, connecting theory and practice has been my key focus- whether in teaching or practicing communication.

I have understood the importance of leadership in shaping the values and aspirations of the society and I have sought to empower myself and my community to move in particular direction.

I believe it was this boundary spanning role that helped me win the Chevening Award in 1996 to study for my MA in Journalism Studies at Cardiff University. I remember the interview had a lot of questions around leadership, the ability to have impact in society, to be a pace setter.

I have experience in advocacy and human rights, in academia and in communication. I have taken different courses to enable me gain the knowledge I require in each context. I am currently the Head of Corporate Communication at the Kenya Seed Company, a strategic government parastatal charged with producing seed to ensure food security in the country.

Throughout your career, you have served in many prominent positions Chairing boards of Public Relations Associations/ Societies not only in Kenya but also in Africa. Kindly tell us some ways you have contributed to shaping the PR profession in Kenya and beyond through serving these boards?

Serving in the different boards I think has been the result of the personal investment I have made in leadership development as well as the recognition by the society I serve. In 2012, I joined the PRSK board as a committee member and two years later was elected the Chair, a role I relinquished in May 2019. Our current President is Dr. Wilfred Marube.

At that time, we were getting set to host the World Conference for Public Relations in Emerging Economies (WCPREE) in partnership with the Global Alliance for PR and Communication Management. In November 2015, we hosted this event in KICC and had 500 global PR and Communication practitioners present. This was a tough season because Kenya was under constant terrorist threat.

I would say that just putting this event together was a huge feat in itself. In 2018, we drafted a bill that we want enacted to guide the practice of the Public Relations profession in Kenya. We also introduced to PRSK, the first ever 5- strategic plan to enable us transition with a common agenda on a rolling basis.

We also moved PRSK to its own premises as opposed to being hosted by a PR agency as was previously the case. This has given more ownership of the society to members and along with more programs has helped increase member participation.

In 2016, I was invited to be Secretary of the Africa PR Association which is based in Lagos. This is the continental professional body. In the past, only a handful of countries have participated and our focus is to grow the membership of the association in each country through relevant communication discussions.

Our recent success in this has been Botswana where the association met in May 2018 and Rwanda in 2019. We are now in discussion to host the next event in Tanzania. These three are new countries to the APRA fold. Our next main strategy that I am directing is to focus on the university level students of Communication across Africa to be mentored by professionals under the Young Aprans tag.

In 2018-2020 I served as Africa delegate to the Global Alliance for PR and Communication Management headquartered in Lisbon. The GA was adopting a new strategy of strengthening the regional arms of the organization by establishing regional chapters. I established the first Africa regional chapter.

as a Chevener and some things you are most proud of this Association.

The Chevening award came through as answered prayer for me. I really wanted to study and would not have afforded paying for it from my personal resources. I was working for the church at the time and they had funds for scholarships in theology only. So Archbishop David Gitari’s Education Panel interviewed me and said I was the best lay person interviewed then gave me the blessing to source for funding through my department.

You are a #Chevening alumnus of 1997 and went on to become a founder Chair of the Chevening Alumnus Association of Kenya. Briefly tell us about your experience

I responded to an advertisement in the newspaper in the first week of December 1995. I took up studies in September 1996 at Cardiff University in Wales where I pursued Journalism Studies. My mother died while I was away and the Chevening fund provided for my return to participate in the funeral. It was tough.

Having completed my studies, I felt very indebted to the British Government for all their support. Starting the alumni association was both for me a symbol of my gratitude – what can I do to say thank you? As well as a recognition of the what they so constantly tell us- that they awardees are the crème de la crème. Surely when the top minds come together, what can stop them?

We made the first attempt to start the alumni association in 1998 and we had several meetings in my office on Bishops Road at the time. We had social events in different places including some hosted by officers working for both the British Council and the British High Commission. In 2000 I migrated to a neighboring country- Uganda and lost touch of the events.

I returned to find a fresh attempt to form an alumni association. In 2014 we started all over again. This is an alumni association of people who were sponsored by the British Government to pursue graduate studies in the United Kingdom under the most prestigious award given to top achievers by the British government.

We have won several funding grants to date to establish ourselves as a policy and advocacy think tank and have been

invited to help start similar associations in Turkey, Botswana and Rwanda.

Our current project is an intervention on working with students with disabilities. We are working with students in Kiambu and Kisumu counties. As a solution minded leader, I am currently leading an effort to write our first strategic plan so that successors have a road map to work with. We work very closely with the British High Commission in Kenya.

You were recently appointed as the Chair of the Green Belt Movement (GBM), what does this role mean for you and especially for other women and younger girls watching you?

When you start as a woman you will learn that you the first but not the last. Therefore, you have a duty to open doors for others and hold their hands. You also go beyond your specific narrow focus and span boundaries. As communicators we are called to be boundary spanners and that is the role I carry.

Mother nature and women have a link- justice for nature and justice for women goes hand in hand. Wangari Maathai said in different ways that if we don’t respect nature and treat it well, it is unforgiving. So I want to play my role and invite others to play their role in treating nature well. Let us mind the water sources and plant trees for posterity.

With such a distinguished career life, what three things do you know now that you wished you knew 15 years ago and that you would advise your mentees with regard to career and life?

Be patient: As young people we want things to happen now. We think it’s a race to the finish point. Have you ever planted a seed, any seed? It requires the right soil, then water, then light and all these within the right time. If a seed is supposed to sprout in seven days, giving it a double portion of all its nutrients will not make it grow in a day.

Find a mentor: This is a person more experienced than you in an area of your interest. Learn from them, ask them questions, follow through what you promise to do. While at it, build yourself and all aspects of your career. Please remember to breathe in and out each step of the way. no instant coffee. Stay away from shortcuts.

Be a mentor: This, you must do. Many people desire to be shown the way. Be different. Look around. Who needs a hand to learn from? Be that hand with a firm grip.

If you were to choose two values that are most important to you that you live by and that shape the way you work and live, what would they be and why?

Honesty- it is about being truthful, straightforward, having integrity and being trustworthy. These are elements that we desire and wish to see in our society. I want to be what I preach.

Patience: being able to tolerate delays, problems and accepting that people are not angels. There will be delays and we learn to live with them without condemning others.

You come across as a self-starter; one who is never afraid to take on new roles and chart new paths that previously didn’t exist. Would you say this is a correct description? Tells us some practical things you do that we can learn/borrow when faced with uncertainty about life and career?

If it ain’t broken, no need to fix it. I always have a picture of where I want to go and what I want to achieve. I normally break it down to short term goals and then ask what do I need to achieve this? Who do I need to help me? I also pray and ask God to guide me. Like Gideon in the Bible, I sometimes lay the fleece and ask for a sign.

If you had a chance to create a new world for the next generation what would you wish for in their new world?

Wow. I have a very simple answer to this question. I wish them peace, clean air, and a world full of opportunities.

I first met Jane Mutinda in 2012. She was the Human Resource Manager as I signed my employment contract to join the British Broadcasting Corporation, Media Action as a Broadcast Mentor. She struck me as an amiable person. Well, she wasn’t your typical HR. There

Jane M. Mutinda

was utterly no distance between her and the rest of us. In fact, her office operated on an open-door policy, with no prior appointments.

Nine years later, Jane is one of my best friends, and I am glad that our paths crossed at the BBC offices in Longonot Place, Nairobi. I host my mentees for a sleepover from time to time, but I make sure someone comes to talk to them about life matters. Jane has met them and coached them on career growth, CV writing, preparing for interviews etc, for free!

She has gone ahead to forge personal relationships with each one of them, and they can reach out to her, at any time. One of them recommended Jane’s services when her dad was preparing for an interview. She then texted me to say, “Thank you so much for introducing us to Jane Mutinda. She has been preparing my dad for an interview and guess what, he got the job.” Fantastic feedback. I live for such stories.

Jane Mutinda defines herself as a Career Coach, Women Empowerment Enthusiast

and a Human Resource Specialist. She’s the founder and Managing Director at Career Management Centre- A HR Advisory and Consulting firm based in Nairobi, Kenya http://www. careermanagementcentre.com. They will be celebrating their 5thAnniversary in March 2021.

Jane is passionate about supporting professionals to find their next big thing and job seekers to navigate through the talent market, making them employable by equipping them with life skills that are rarely taught in school.

As a HR Specialist, she has over 10 years of experience working with international NGO’s including BBC Media Action, Practical Action International and International Medical Corps with one mission; to change how people view HR by endeavouring to create happy workplaces where employees are engaged, motivated to stay and contribute to their organisations’ strategic goals.

Jane’s career journey began at the University of Nairobi where she majored in Biochemistry and Chemistry and graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree, 2nd Class Upper Division. During her internship in a Microbiology Lab, she realised this wasn’t the career for her.

“I was not going to spend my entire life in a lab looking at reagents. It was a lonely space for me. I was very sure that was the end of me and sciences. I was privileged to have experienced other departments during my career – I was either going to pursue Marketing or Human Resource Management. I choose HR and have enjoyed every moment thirteen years down the line. My last formal employment was as the HR and Administration Manager for Eastern Africa Regional Office for a UK-Based NGO.

I set up Career Management Centre - A HR Advisory and Consulting firm in March 2016. We have two main departments – a job seekers department and an Organisations/Employers department. For organisations we provide the whole range of HR services either as an outsourced service or as a standalone assignment. We have two main departments – a job seekers department and an Organisations/Employers department. For organisations we provide the whole range of HR services either as an outsourced service or as a standalone assignment.

We also provide trainings in HR and leadership with signature program on the Managers Tool Kit, a program that focuses on Skills that every manager must have.”

The job seekers wing has many exciting products/services including.

• Executive and Board CV writing

– Your CV is your ambassador and the most important career tool you’ll ever have. It knocks and opens career doors for you.

• Interview coaching - Interviewing is a strategy, the best interviewee gets the job not necessary the most qualified candidate. Most of us are not that good in interviews even though we are very qualified.

• HR Mentorship and Coaching

Programs –We support upcoming HR professionals to jumpstart their careers. Our mentorship program simulates the HR office, it complements experience for those with limited HR experience and Exposure

• Strategic HR Mentorship – We provide this to transition operational HR professionals to the strategic place.

You are passionate about empowering managers with leadership and people management skills so that they perform well at work. Please tell us about this, some programs you offer to individuals and organisations respective of their size, for their career and business development, respectively.

Every manager is an HR Advocate and should be equipped with people management and HR management skills because employees deserve a happy workplace. There is a famous quote that “a majority of the employees don’t leave companies; they leave managers”. We a run a program dubbed ‘The managers tool Kit’ which trains on several skills that every manager must endeavour to excel in – from Career Planning, Team Motivation, drawing the Team Charter, Conflict Management, having difficult conversations, managing poor performance, delegation, budgets etc. We also have HR Management for Non – HR. My biggest achievement careerwise was the decision to walk out of formal employment and start Career Management Center Limited. I have worked with thousands of job seekers helping them to transition to their next big thing; I have worked with organisations especially SMEs ensuring regardless of their size they manage their Human Resources with dignity and within the Law.

My most recent achievement is supporting women with maternity/motherhood employment gaps pick up their careers. Qualified women are leaking in the career pipeline every second to take care of the social development agenda and we are not giving them second chances. It will be my biggest job to see such women come back without explaining the gaps in paragraphs.

You are the Vice President of Women in Africa. What does this role mean for you and other younger women who look up to you?

At Women in Africa, we are currently implementing a project on Turning Girls into Breadwinners. This involves the search for a Female President a.k.a leader in whichever sector. Our mindset surgery project is about demystifying all the limiting beliefs that stop women from dreaming big; the myth that men have a higher capacity to lead compared to women, that the man must earn more and take care of the ladies.

Women believing that they can only make it in life by marrying well off men. The idea that men should take the lead in breadwinning and women in caring for children and the home still affects men and women today. Surprisingly the violation of this norm makes some couples uncomfortable with their arrangement.

Educated women are paying a happiness penalty for their success and economic independence. Educated women are foregoing their dreams to fit in, and some women have an issue with earning more or being more educated than their husbands. This is still very common in our society and the few women who make it should never forget the millions that are still suffering from this mental slavery.

Therefore; We must do the little that each and every one of us can to uplift women and young girls. It all starts with the mindset, and if liberated all women should spare time to mentor young girls especially from remote and informal settlement areas. In most of these areas, women are stay home mums; hence it would go a long way in letting the girl child know that she too has the freedom to chase after her dreams.

We still have women who fancy rich boys even when they come with flawed character and most still believe their breakthrough can only come through sexual offerings. It’s a new dawn for the Kenyan woman. We are living in very good times; the environment provides for equal opportunity. Therefore, women should dive in and go to the table with confidence. Let’s not wait to be called, affirmative action is good but it still leaves you feeling you are not enough. Women should not wait to go to leadership under affirmative action only; they should desire, dream big and put work towards that.

In many organisations, HR personnel are viewed as the enemy of employees. Please talk to us about this, and some ways employees can cultivate a positive relationship with human resource personnel in their organisation for their career development?

This must be a regrettable misunderstanding that possibly stems from the disciplinary and firing role tasked with HR professionals. Some people hate HR because they have information that might affect them (employees) negatively. What we forget is that HR professionals are bound by confidentiality and must play the delicate balance between the employer and employee interests. Some of the perceptions come from employees not understanding how some HR decisions e.g. promotion, termination etc., are made or when they feel the HR is unresponsive to their needs. HR department exists to support employee welfare in the organisation and ensure you are happy at the workplace. No HR professional would be glad to be referred to as an enemy of the employees. HR should be seen as an employee advocate and not enemy, but employees should also not expect HR to babysit them. As an employee do your work, don’t be the 3% of bad employees who are always causing toxicity in the workplace, and of course, don’t break the policies – HR will summon you to explain why your employment should not be terminated.

We asked Jane some common mistakes people make that sabotage their careers and what advice she’d give to avert these mistakes?

1. For students and recent graduates

– not building experience while in college through internships and volunteer. You graduate with a CV that has nothing apart from your school grades and your year of birth - competing becomes very hard.

During internships, some students also do the bare minimum; they sit waiting for assignments from the supervisor. If you choose to do an internship or volunteer work, have a plan to learn all aspects of your work. You must have some personal objectives that you want to achieve at the end of the internship.

Speak with people, get JDs of assistants and use these to guide your discussions with your supervisor. For starter’s sake, take that internship, get experience and money will follow.

2. Confusing a job with a career and basically lack of career management– most people get a job and become comfortable. A job is a short term goal while a career is a long term goal. Career Management means you are deliberate and intentional about helping yourself to advance in pay and responsibility. development. Many individuals stop learning the day they get their current job, yet complain that the employer does not value training and development. Your current employer is okay with your skills as they are, but you will struggle to move or change jobs if you are not upto-date with the skills required in the industry currently. Make your personal development and career growth your business; this you can’t delegate.

4. Failure to network – Networking means getting to know and letting people know you and your work, this is key for personal and career growth. Believing that your exemplary work will talk for itself, is a huge mistake. People grow because of referrals and recommendations, that promotion will not come because you are so good.

5. The serial latecomer- People come late for meetings and are the first to leave. This is common with women than men. At the same time, women tend to volunteer for non-strategic committees/ extra duties at work eg visiting a colleague who recently got a baby and fail to show up for the strategic ones eg the automation change committee.

If you were to choose two values that are most important to you that you live by and that shape the way you work, live, and run your organisation; what would they be and why?

• Quality is our number one value – we want our customers to see the value for money, we go all out to ensure we deliver products/services in a way that people are happy to send us new clients.

• Relationship oriented as a culture– We save all our customers by name and always go out of my way to deliver with a personal connection. It should never be transactional.

We asked people to describe Jane, and they had interesting things to say.

Jane is a champion of diversity and inclusivity in the workplace. She is unapologetic about pulling down barriers that hinder women from scaling heights of leadership. She is also an optimistic leader, very knowledgeable in her field,

focused, ready to help others. Also, very passionate about women issues.

Well, I know her as a bubbly lady with an infectious smile! So passionate about HR contribution to the business bottom line! Very committed to empowering and mentoring the younger HR generation.

I am here to tell a short story. A story about disruption, excellence, and a woman: I love it when a Kenyan woman is excellently causing disruption and interrupting the status quo. This isn’t a very juicy story for the Kenyan media. Because Kenyan women rarely get covered when they are excelling in a big way.

Allow me to introduce to you Mrs. Kentice Tikolo. I know her as my friend. She’s my professional mentor and a woman that I truly love. When I finally write my book, she will have a special chapter on her own. Kentice as I like to call her, she’s a woman of many titles, but two stand out, she is the Managing Director at Cause Impact PR and former Chair at Public Relations Society of Kenya.

Well, she’s done many other big things before, like conceptualizing and implementing the initial campaign and First Lady’s Half Marathon, which is one

Finally, if you had a chance to create a totally new world of work for young people, what would you wish for in their new world?

I wish for a world that’s results-driven with less control, hoping that young people will exercise strong work ethics

Kentice Tikolo

of her most significant achievements. But I am writing to acknowledge her today, for yet another key role in under her name- the first Kenyan woman to oversee a football election in Kenya, a world-class election with no drama!

Well, if you are like me, football isn’t something I care much about. But here is a woman, she not only understands football, she sits at the realm of football conversations in Kenya. She is the Chairman at Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Electoral Board. Yes, FKF. For years, many of us know that FKF elections are about chaos, lawlessness, anarchy and violence.

But for the first time in Kenya’s history, a woman is seated at the main seat, and the recently concluded election has gone seamless. Nothing makes me proud than knowing that this celebrated Communications Professional is fixing the system, one step at a time. To me, this is a confirmation that women are accomplished and adept, even in areas believed to be male-dominated like football.

From a recently conducted interview with a local newspaper in Kenya, the Standard, Newspaper, Kentice describes herself as “A simple but firm woman (with a big heart) who believes in equality of people. We all deserve an equal chance on this earth. This can best be achieved through sincerity and integrity.

I have a special calling to help those who are disadvantaged. I am solid on justice. A stickler to regulations, I’m a little bit of a perfectionist. I take life seriously: loyal almost to a fault. So, when I give myself to do something, I go out of my way to deliver perfectly. I also am passionate about communication and enjoy teaching. Here is the link to her interview- https:// and behave like fully informed individuals who understand why they come to work every day. Otherwise, they should be at home sleeping.

www.standardmedia.co.ke/sports/ football/2001391463/meet-the-firstkenyan-woman-to-oversee-a-footballelection-in-kenya

Our quest to celebrate Kentice Tikolo is our mission to provide much-needed visibility for women champions in Kenya, especially in Kenya. It is also a chance to encourage many other women to join the less travelled route. She knows this too well and has been in the forefront questioning the misrepresentation and lack of visibility of women in sports. Case example: the October London Marathon, where she raised questions about the lack of hype and razzmatazz on Brigid Kosgei’s win.

Why did we all focus on Eliud’s loss in the men’s marathon, yet we had a woman who had won in the women race? Did we all pretend it was business as usual? That’s what I am talking about. We must be deliberate in giving equal attention in supporting women in sports because, in Kenya, far too few women are involved in sports.

We need to see more visibility for women in sports including the likes of Catherine Ndereba, Tegla Lorupe, Valerie Onyango, Harambee Starlets and the mighty Brigid Kosgei.

Well done Kentice. Thank you for leading the way for women behind you. Thank you for holding our hand and trusting us, even when we do not fully trust in ourselves. I am writing this, as a statement that is shared by many younger women, who look up to you for direction and mentorship. I am writing this on their behalf. Some of those women are with you in PRSK and the Network for Media and PR women in Kenya. Thank you for setting the stage for us. We are right behind you. Keep going.

Nerima Wako

Nerima is the Executive Director of Siasa Place; https://siasaplace.com/ an organisation she founded in 2015 to create an enabling environment for the youth to understand and engage in politics. Its mission is to inform and engage in how politics directly affects our communities and society through practical and relatable communications.

Nerima Wako is the third born in a family of four, married and with one child. She is a new mother, and I am looking forward to seeing my nephew. “I am a middle child and a very stereotypical one. I love stories, so whether it’s watching movies, reading books or writing.” Added Nerima.

Briefly talk to us about your career journey, and highlight what you consider to be your major career achievements and events around them?

I did not plan to start an organisation. As a matter of fact, I was working at a place that I enjoyed. But I noticed a gap that existed. My program was focused on young people in this international organisation, but I hardly engaged with youth-led groups. I wanted a more practical engagement. So I started my organisation. Naturally, it was a very slow start. I was taking on some consultancy work so that I could make some money and balancing with starting an initiative. I was broke and tired most of the time. I’d get home very late in the night because I would work from 7am to 3pm and then focus on my organisation from 4pm to around 10pm.

I remember working as late as midnight sometimes. This happened on weekends too. So I didn’t have much of a social life either. I had just come back from the United States of America. I lived there for seven years. I did my Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism and Sociology and my Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the Jacksonville State University.

when I returned to Kenya to start this initiative.

Finally, a breakthrough happened. I received my first cheque from a donor who wanted to invest in my organisation. I received Ksh. 250,000 (£1,6450) I remember taking a picture of the cheque for future reference. I was so happy that someone else saw what I saw. It made me believe that I was headed in the right direction.

As we do this interview, my organisation has made several achievements. In counties like Busia and Kericho, there are real-life stories of how teaching youth on public participation has led to solving community issues such as access to safe drinking water, accessible market space, youth employment and more.

As Siasa Place, we also led in the protest against a presidential appointment. He nominated an individual to lead the National Employment Authority Board, yet we all knew they were not qualified. We took the matter to court, and we won. So the case has been featured in Kenya Law. Our organisation has grown to be a voice that is recognised.

You are an Obama Leaders Fellow of 2018, talk to us about your experience, the role it played in your getting into politics and governance?

be in that space; great young minds surrounded me. It was eye-opening to learn the fantastic things that young people were doing in their countries. The networks built have opened opportunities for me. I also met young politicians who were currently serving their terms, and I realised they had challenges very similar to issues in our country.

But the biggest lesson for me was on abundance. We had access to plenty of material. I had never attended a workshop that had limitless material. But oh, there was a lesson on taking as much as you felt you needed. We are so used to getting, for instance, one pen and one notebook at a workshop. Here we were allowed to take as many as we wanted, for friends and family too. And yes we took as much as we wanted.

Here is the lesson. A lot of people enter politics to grab. Get as much as they can as quickly as they can. But here I was taught there is enough for everyone. If only we lived that way, we know when to say, this is enough, our politics would be so different. And we would never look at politics as the only avenue to loot and gather wealth.

You invest your time in Future Africa Leaders, and often you offer mentorship to young emerging leaders. Tell us about your experience as a mentor and the difference you have made, as well as the platforms you serve or offer mentorship.

It is difficult to be a mentor like me because I take it seriously. I believe in living the advice that I give. I can’t preach water and drink wine. When you are a mentor, you have people looking up to you and seeking your advice. So I give it my all. And that has allowed me to see different sides of a person, the pieces that make one a complete human.

In many instances, people want to be my mentees because they see my organisation’s success, but they rarely see my struggles at home front or even with my education. Basically, we all have downfalls, and it’s just fine. No one is perfect. As a mentor, I have allowed myself to be vulnerable and sometimes to

say, I don’t know, but I am happy to try.

Sometimes we may focus on the work that we need to do…. but our lives are also personal. If you are unhappy at home, it can affect your job. They are intertwined, so I try to teach that with the people that I mentor. To help them see all the various aspects of what makes us human.

As the Executive Director of Siasa Place, you lead this political hub for women and youth to learn about governance, the Constitution

and electoral processes. Talk to us about your vision for Siasa Place;

the organisation, some of the programs you run, and why your focus is specifically on women and youth?

My vision for Siasa Place is for it to be a place that channels out young people who understand the Constitution and processes of participation. Active youth who want the better for our country. So I see Siasa Place growing to be an institution that teaches these things and grow to be a centre for policy analysts and governance experts.

Yes, we have a program that is specific to women, it’s called Women at Web. This program is informed by the fact that many if not most women experienced bullying online. Many choose to leave the platform or limit how much they engage because they find it toxic, but this could also be limiting hence barring them from so many opportunities.

Think about women politicians, for instance. They use social media for campaign and voter engagement. But when they experience bullying online, they shy off and leave the platforms. Some of them miss out because they do not how these platforms work.

We also have two programs (Siasa Talk and Zivik) whose goal is to encourage youth participation. We engage youth in community approaches and encourage them to find solutions to community issues while being proactive in holding the county leadership accountable. We are big on youth participation and inclusion. Every Wednesday, we conduct a #TweetChat discussing current national matters. Please look out for updates on the same from our Twitter handle @ SiasaPlace.

You work with youth and women, what are some common mistakes they make regarding governance and participation in political and decision-making processes in Kenya? Do they regret these mistakes, and if yes, how can they avert them?

Majority lack patience. Be patient. This journey is gruelling, tiring and slow. These things take time, and some start with so much energy, but they get burn out. I ask people to identify what their signs of fatigue are and take the most needed break. At a personal level, I am a work in progress. Last year, we had the whole organisation on compulsory leave because I realised that people were overworking.

They do not save for rainy days. In the beginning, politics tends to be slow. We have to pace our lives and work. And this also requires us being good with money. Start saving early for the long haul so that you have fuel to push you through. Politics can drain one financially so plan to have safety nets. Even as early as 18 years make savings a real business.

What more can young people do individually and collectively in governance and leadership if there is going to be a continuous change and impact?

Lately, we have youth getting appointed to sit on boards. This is a significant milestone that should be celebrated. Previously, most boards had no youth representation. We are glad that we have now submitted recommendations to the government on specific policies that touch on youth. We are keen to follow on their implementation. So youth must be on the lookout for these opportunities.

We have come a long way, and now we have a youth consortium calling on the youth to serve in Kenyan organisations. This is great because we can come together under a particular cause and

As we wind up this interview, how do you describe your leadership style and how do others describe you?

I describe it as participatory. I like to hear people’s opinions before I make a serious decision. And I think everyone’s opinion is valid, from the intern to managers in my company. I like hearing new ideas. They excite me. Other people will tell you I am very particular; I pay attention to detail.

Yes, many described her as hardworking and meticulous. “Yes, I am. So, anyone who joins my team or organisation, they have to keep up. I only have space for hardworking people.”

This makes us curious, so we ask, If you were to choose two most important values to you that you live by and that shape the way you work, live, and run your organisation; what would they be and why?

Integrity and Continuous Learning

Integrity is so important; it goes a long way. Especially in a space filled with lies and deception, like the society we live in. That’s what makes us stand out. Integrity is a big aspect in people’s characters that I look out off and something that I practice at a personal level.

Continuous learning. I enjoy reading up on things happening around the world when it comes to governance. I like being aware and informed. I like to see people going far and beyond.

And so, one final question and it is a wrap.

If you had a chance to create a totally new world of work for young people, what would you wish for in their new world?

Flexibility. We are sometimes stuck on doing things the same way or going to the office from 9am to 5pm. I rather have someone get the job done and done well early than pretend to be working just to pass the time. Give young people the freedom to choose.

Stability for our country. We need to grow a new crop of young people concerned about good governance. A generation that loves and cares for our country; Kenya. We can’t grow a business in an unstable country. Let’s all make it our duty to make our country stable.

Thank you for being with us throughout this journey. Today we are in Vol 10. We look forward to getting to Volume 52. If you know a woman who deserves to grace the #KenyaWomenSeries, we are happy to take your suggestion. Kindly drop us an inbox, and we can take it from there. @Esther Kirago and I are genuinely excited about this project.

Ngele Ali

Wow. We admit that this has been the longest interview we have conducted since we started the #KenyaWomenSeries and while we wanted to edit and shorted it out, we reckon, every statement in here is valuable, so we decided to present it as it is.

So here we go.

Ngele Ali currently serves as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Head of Communications, Kenya office. Over the years, she has managed and led the design and execution of communication strategies, and advocacy campaigns focused on developing and humanitarian-related work. She has had the privilege of collaborating with donors, civil society, the private sector and other stakeholders. She has also served on location or remotely about 14 countries in Africa including Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya, DRC, Botswana, Malawi, Zambia, South Africa, South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, among others.

She is adept in designing and implementing media, communication and advocacy strategies that encourage diversity and community voices. She considers herself a storyteller, but most importantly, a space holder where our communities can use their voices to shine a light on their lives, progress and challenges in the most empowered and dignified ways possible. This is a statement I love so much.

Talk to us about your career journey highlighting the significant achievements and the events around them? What are some of your proudest moments? me enormous opportunities to lead and collaborate with others. My journey started at the defunct Ayton Young and Rubicam (AY&R), where I worked as an Art director. For the four years of my service, I had an excellent opportunity to work on several advertising and marketing campaigns for household brands across East Africa. At AY&R, it is where my approach every task, and work ethics were truly shaped. As a visualiser in 2000, working with no computer but art paper and coloured pencils all day long, visualising ideas assigned to me, taught me a valuable lesson on trusting the process and valuing my input in any given task. Within three months, I was promoted to Junior Art director, and in 2004 when I departed from the company, I was a fully-fledged Art Director, who had made a mark.

Transitioning from profit-making to non-profit was a significant shift, but I was ready to shift gears to work in places where my actions will account for making a difference for humanity. I joined Pact in 2004, and that is where my understanding and love for communities truly expanded – you can say I was now in tune with my purpose here on earth. As a Communications and Graphics specialist working for Pact (2004 – 2012), I worked with several countries across East, West and South Africa where I was assigned to work with diverse colleagues in various programmatic areas. Some of the memorable and impactful assignments include supporting a team working under the WORTH programme. I supported the production and packaging of content that build basic literacy, numeracy, and enterprise-development skills of rural women across East Africa. It was an eye-opening experience to see how simple math and reading capabilities significantly turned around women’s fortunes, improving their chances of getting out of poverty. When South Sudan was transitioning into an independent state, I worked with colleagues to package information in a manner that was accessible to communities to improve the understanding of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). To ensure that our communities in far-flung areas had the opportunity to participate and engage with the proposals that were mainly taking place far away from home - in Naivasha Kenya, we opted to translate the CPA simplified document into Arabic. We recorded the peace agreement readings in all the dialects spoken in South Sudan packaging them for dissemination via radio cassettes, which local leaders played at community meetings. I guess this is what we have now as the modernised Audible books!

I also had a chance to work with teams in Malawi, Zambia and Tanzania among other counties where I helped to document and package information that enhanced visibility of the work that the teams in those countries were doing. My travel across Malawi in 2009, documenting our work gave me a deeper perspective on the

impact of HIV/AIDS. I came face to face with how HIV had ravaged communities. Still, it is the determination not to remain beaten down that has stuck with me since – human beings are resilient despite the challenging circumstances they find themselves in. In 2012, based on the lessons from the unfortunate events of 2007 post-election violence, together with colleagues, we conceptualised a programmatic campaign “SAFE-Coast” funded by USAID that aimed to increase young people participation in electoral processes and minimise possibilities of violence within the coastal region of Kenya. I learned that young people are a crucial part of the population, and if engaged in a meaningful way, they too can be stakeholders who demand accountability and good governance.

Nine years later, I joined Oxfam in 2012 as the Regional Information and Communications officer where I provided advisory and on-site technical support to 10 countries (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Ethiopia, DRC, Rwanda and Burundi). I led story gathering missions documenting humanitarian and development stories as part of public awareness and resource mobilisation. I lobbied for a yearly allocation of funds by country offices for communications teams to train and equip country office communication officers. I also had an opportunity to work on several advocacy campaigns that raised awareness of decisionmakers and lobby for improved policies implementation. Example, I curated an exhibition “Make Peace Happen” at the 2013 AU Summit in collaboration with the Oxfam Liaison team in Addis Ababa, where we brought to life the impact of a conflict that was ongoing in Mali and the DRC. By putting voices and faces, we were able to show beyond the reported statistics of those afflicted. In 2014, I initiated and produced the inaugural one Oxfam annual report for the Horn East and Central Africa (HECA) region. It was the first of its kind to be published by any Oxfam regional office, setting standards for the best practice of how joint reporting and showcasing of results as one solidifies partnerships across the affiliates, and with funding partners and communities. In 2016 working with my colleagues, we conceptualised a documentary on the South Sudan refugees in camps in Uganda and Ethiopia, where we shared aspirations and hope of those displaced from their countries. In 2016 before leaving Oxfam for UNDP, I worked as the International Communications Advisor, working closely with Oxfam GB’s International Division Directorate focusing on internal communications for international programmes, enhancing programmatic synergies, fostering learning and knowledge management. I was the first person to be recruited for this role outside of the UK, and this allowed me to bring the programmatic perspective which I believe was valuable for the position and the team I was working with. I telecommuted for most of my assignment from Nairobi, with occasional on-site work in Oxford when necessary - I proved that it is possible to work and be productive without physically being at the office. Seems I was ahead of time because, with the pandemic, a large percentage of people are now working remotely! Another memorable moment was my assignment to the WEF in 2016 as a media liaison where I supported/ coordinated media engagements and appearances for Oxfam International Director, Ms Winnie Byanyima.

In 2016 December, I joined UNDP as the Head of Communications for the Kenya office when the country was headed for the 2017 elections. I innovatively provided strategic technical and advisory support to key electoral implementing partners through UNDPs Support to Electoral Processes in Kenya (SEPK) Project, before, during and after the 2017 General Elections. One of the key outcomes from this engagement was the curation of mass Voter Registration drive targeting young and first-time voters using through comedy nuanced in the local context in collaboration with one of Kenya’s top acts (Churchill live), transmitted live on TV and digital platforms. To carry along as many people as possible who were unable to access the conferencing facilities during the first International Sustainable Blue Economy Summit held in Nairobi in 2018, I conceptualised and curated an outdoor exhibition that had a collection of over 100 giant prints and 30 films from across the world. This helped to unpack the Blue Economy concept and ensured members of the public, especially the University students, were fully engaged in the conversation. Representation of how we see our communities is critical. In 2018, I led a team of colleagues and three Kenyan professional photographers to document and tell the story of development against the Sustainable Development Goals’ backdrop. We travelled to Kenya’s depths and breadth and captured remarkable stories of Kenyans involved in developing communities. These images now form part of the UNDP photobank to illustrate UNDP’s input in Kenya’s development agenda. How we depict our communities speaks volumes of the collaboration and partnerships we forge with communities and our donors. In 2019 I infused mobile journalism and storytelling for our partners’ working under the access to justice programmed to promote innovation and leverage resources. 20192020 one of my big wins was public engagement and mobilisation during my tour of duty in Nigeria. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, I led UNDP Nigeria production of key messages working with 27 notable faces from the creative industry and business sector in support of Government efforts to amplify public awareness on the pandemic and recommended preventive measures. Working with celebrities such as Banky W, Ali Baba, Timi Dakolo, Dr. Ola Orekurin Brown, Oluwaseun Ayodeji Osowobi, Patoranking and Basket Mouth among others the messages in the key languages spoken in Nigeria connected with public and countering the many narratives that misinformed the public. We reached +90million Nigerians on TV and radio and +50 plus on social media platforms in two months. I also represented UNDP on the Public Engagement and Risk Communication committee of the Nigeria Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 response. I also worked closely with colleagues in the Nigeria office. I brought onboard new private-sector donors such as the Aliko Dangote Foundation, Maersk among others who contributed towards the Nigeria COVID-19 Basket Fund – a complementary funding mechanism supporting the Government of Nigeria’s response. Besides, I led the coordination and production of televised policy development dialogues that created Nigerians’ opportunities to engage and identify crucial development challenges and opportunities. This includes conversations between the UN Deputy Secretary-General and young Nigerians dubbed from Protest to constructive

dialogue to unpack the challenges facing the youth in Nigeria and explore how these can be addressed.

Recently, one of the most notable initiatives I have been involved in was the launch and deployment of the Antiepidemic Robots. I contributed to the team’s efforts of deploying technology and innovation to minimise the risk of secondary infection for our healthcare and frontline workers – by brainstorming and coming up with the names of the robots – in celebration of the selflessness of frontline and healthcare workers in Kenya – a contribution that I am incredibly proud of. (check my Twitter thread for details).

Paint a picture for us about what it means to be a woman in Senior Management in an international organisation. Based on your experience, how would you encourage women to a greater awareness that they are able to break barriers, influence, and occupy decision-making positions? Being a woman at the decisionmaking table is not just for me; it is a representation of my communications team, which has coincidentally been 90% female over the years. It gives me a chance to represent seldom-heard voices at the table where ideas and decisions on how we communicate are made, allowing our thoughts to be heard and implemented – with remarkable results to show.

While this is an outstanding achievement, it does not come easy – mainly where communication is considered an afterthought and not factored in during budgeting.

Additionally, as communicators, especially women, we have to continually work harder to demonstrate our ideas and capabilities can deliver results. This is where we must bring our A-game to the table - we have to go beyond the scope of our terms of reference, be ahead of the curve with innovative ideas that speak for us and to be of added value to those who are likely to make decisions on the ideas we present. We must constantly refresh our thinking and our outlook to remain relevant and remain on the winning side. We have to see the biggest picture possible – this comes with the great responsibility of leading and influencing others. We have to be willing to move out of our comfort zones and be ready to fail…try and try again till what we do becomes second to nature.

If you were to reflect back on your career journey, what would you say have been the guiding principles you have always relied on? In what ways has passion, purpose and self-discovery driven your career?

Invested: In everything I do, its either I’m jumping in with my both feet in, or not. There are no grey areas when it comes to how I approach my tasks. I’m fully invested in what I do at a personal level and what my team does. I do not do anything simply to tick a box.

Empathy: I have learned to engage with my team beyond who they are as the person they bring to work. It gives me a better perspective of who I am dealing with, and when things are falling apart, it is easier to remedy. I’m one manager who does not leave my people trudging alone on assignments. While I won’t micromanage, I like my team to know I will be there till it’s done. I believe empathy is the cornerstone of building trust and long-lasting relationships.

From the lessons, you have learnt in building a rewarding career and based on your hard-earned wisdom over the years, what top three lessons do you carry within life?

Being authentic. Over the years, I have learned that when I present my ideas from the most authentic place, then I’m also more than willing to go the distance to make it work. Interestingly, when authenticity shows up, the relevant people and resources align to make it possible to deliver on whatever I’m working on. This is similar to how I relate with others – be it my friends, family, suppliers, partners, bosses, colleagues, and those I manage.

I am my own competition. So I don’t compete with anyone; Otherwise, I would get caught up and not serve my true purpose.

What we do must supersede and outlive us. I’ve learned to always look beyond myself, which is the beginning of success. Coming up with excellent ideas is not a self-aggrandising moment – what we do must be purposeful and meaningful for us to look back years to come and still see the impact. Microwave ideas or work does not cut it for me – we have such limited time so we must make it count in every way.

Away from work, share with us some of your life experiences on personal growth and development. What do you do to recharge and remain true to yourself?

Life has taught me that it is highly unpredictable, and nothing is promised to us. We must live for the now and enjoy the little things in life. I “eat cake” to celebrate milestones big and small – as small as getting the feedback I was anticipating, to grand life-changing milestones.

To stay grounded, I look up to my family and God. My family keeps me grounded, it is where my success is acknowledged but does not change who I am to them and them to me. I also have what I call my courage committee – these are people I consult quite often, and this is a space of no judging but a space for honest conversations. They are those people who make jumping to the unknown an experience worth trying.

Then I have my village – this is a group of people whom I enjoy sharing a moment with and I build and reconstruct my ideal village as I move along in life, they are my people.

I read and listen to a lot of podcasts and audiobooks. These allow me to have conversations with myself and renew my perspective. I’m also an art collector. This year I want to learn how to ride a bicycle.

You work in an international organisation and have worked in others before, including Oxfam, what lessons have you picked as a local for you to thrive and have a say at the decision-making table? What practical lessons should those planning to get into international organisations be alive to?

be mentioned at the relevant tables even when you are not there. What you do or know must give those that have access the confidence to refer you when an opportunity arises – everyone likes to be associated with success. Work at it, be it and when you are given a chance to share an idea, make sure what you say/share is memorable and worthwhile.

• Work on your ‘shopping basket’ – identify which organisations you want to work with and analyse what you have or need to get there. Does the organisation you want to work with match with your career expectations, or outlook towards life? Once you are clear about this, the rest falls into place.

• Find a mentor who can help you build on your vision, but you must be a mentee who is willing to put in the work. Nothing comes to those who do not help themselves – therefore be a keen learner and come with a teachable mind and heart. Make a point of learning, relearn and unlearn

• Network – they say your network is your net worth. Invest in your networks – some last a lifetime and some are for a season. Such is life and nothing to be ashamed of if you outgrow your current network – it means that the network has served its purpose and it’s time to set new expectations.

• Be open-minded and adaptable – what works in one context may not be the same for another context – be flexible enough to change strategy and take note of how you can adapt what worked without necessarily reinventing the wheel. Most decision-makers do not align well with rigid and closemindedness – it makes work more challenging and time-consuming. Be ready to take up a challenge and learn new ways rather than be stuck with “it’s always how it’s been done” or “it’s been done before, and it didn’t work.”

If you were to choose two most important values to you that you live by and that shape the way you work and live; what would they be and why?

Being enough – Sometimes we work so hard to be that which we are not to please others or desperately fit in that we lose ourselves and forget who we indeed are. We are all created uniquely, and self-love starts by knowing and feeling that we are enough. When we look at the mirror, we should like the person looking back at us. Otherwise, we are living the worst betrayal of self.

Accountability – The Bible says to whom much is given, much will be required and thus as I use my skills and talent in the work that I do, I always strive to be accountable to myself first and to others especially those that I lead. For instance, I wouldn’t expect my team to perform with excellence if I wasn’t mirroring the same for them. Fearless and courageous – that I pursue things I have set my heart on, ready to try new things and not shy away from challenging situations. That I always find a way/solution to work through situations

Dedicated – when I take up responsibility or a task, I immerse myself fully and go above and beyond to make sure it’s delivered in the right way.

Beautiful and kind heart – always want the best for others.

Loyal and protective of those I love especially family and will do whatever it takes for them

Others described her as meticulous, so we posed the question. Will you describe yourself as meticulous?

“I guess this stems from how I handle my tasks both at work and private matters. Generous and thoughtful - If I see an opportunity that can benefit others, I’m always willing to pass it on.”

@Esther Kirago and I are happy to continue bringing you more stories of more powerhouse women throughout the year. If you know a woman who should be featured in these series, please get in touch with us.

Thank you.

How do people describe you?

Patricia Ndede

A golfer, innovator and seasoned Communications Consultant who has a wealth of experience and expertise from both the public and private sector in Kenya. Her name is Patricia Ndede.

After a stint in the newsrooms at Nation Media Group and Capital Group, Patricia Ndede got into the public sector, a different world from the private sector environment, where she began contouring the dynamic field of communications. She worked at the Retirement Benefits Authority as the Manager, Corporate Communications for ten years.

At the time, the pension industry was looking to increase its uptake in the formal sector and the informal sector. Patricia innovated the Mbao Pension Plan, a first of its kind in the third world pension system. The innovation was beneficial for the Retirement Benefits Authority and got the attention of the World Bank, and they sent their teams to learn how it worked. The invention was a turnaround for the informal sector investors.

Mbao Pension Plan to India within the informal settlements in Hyderabad. The local government pension system in India took up the same model. And she didn’t stop there! Amazingly, a South African Private Pension Scheme also came to benchmark on the same innovation and named their own, Mbao Pension PlanSouth Africa. “The word Mbao was specific to the Kenyan system as it involved saving at least 20 shillings (Mbao) a day towards their retirement using Mpesa”.

The recognition this innovation received humbled Patricia in so many ways because she had initially come up with the invention through a Corporate Social Investment where a corporate entity identifies it’s challenges and puts in an investment that will enhance behavioural change, thereby reversing the challenge into an opportunity. Corporate Social Responsibility doesn’t resonate with many in my world. Corporate Social Investment does. “There’s never free lunch. A corporate has to give and let the end result plough back into the business”, she says.

1. You served at Huduma Kenya, a flagship project of Kenya Vision 2030. Please share with us your experience rolling out this project.

In 2016 served as the Director of Communications at Huduma Kenya, a state agency in the Ministry of Public Service, where I oversaw communication channels across the 52 Huduma Centres, crafting and implementing a robust Communication Strategy that saw the success of one of the best-performing Government projects yet.

“Managing a strong public service brand that enhanced public service delivery to Kenyans was one of the most gratifying achievements in my career”. One day while in one of the centres, an old man remarked after being served and said, “If this was a government office, I don’t think I would have received such service.” Patricia laughed because she knew as a team they had made the much-needed transformation within the Public Service with the services offered at Huduma Centres. “When you are passionate about what you do, you execute with excellence. On the outside, you may be seen as a perfectionist crossing every T and dotting your every I, but literally, you are passionate about what you do and always want to see things to the end with excellence.”

Her hard work, dedication and passion for communication saw her appointed as the Communications Lead at the State Department of Public Service by the PS of Public Service, Lilian Omollo. What is more, her transformational leadership earned her yet another appointment as the Director of Communications at the Ministry of Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs in 2018.

Call it the strength of a passionate woman! Patricia Ndede doubled up both roles as she served at Huduma Kenya. During her tenure, she worked under many Principal Secretaries, and Cabinet Secretaries and one thing she had to offer was reliability and dependability. Crisis Communication was something Patricia got used to handling and managing. “Some days were rough, but the joy of having the work done was priceless! I quickly appreciated my role in all the tasks given to me. There is nothing as comforting as working with a reliable person”.

Described as “Miss Fix-it” by the CS and PS she worked with, Patricia served in the public sector with a private sector attitude and approach of getting the job done and doing it with excellence. “Many at time public sector officers have been known to be very laid back, least motivated and perform their duties to tick the box, calling it a day.” This was not relatable to Patricia.

Through the years, Patricia Ndede is grateful for the opportunities she got to serve in various capacities both in the public and private sector. “They say when you get to the top don’t forget to send the lift back down.” Her servant leadership attributes and empathy saw her open doors and extend a helping hand to many unknown to her who needed internships, placements, networks, name it. “It always gave me the joy to help in whatever capacity I could, without looking at what I was going to get back. The satisfaction that comes with it is priceless!”

2. Now as a consultant, what projects are you working on that you are most proud of?

Among the projects I am handling, which are contracted through development agencies, are Kazi Mtaani; an economic stimulus offering thousands of casual jobs to youth amid the #Covid19 pandemic that led to millions of job losses, Boma Yangu; the Affordable Housing Programme (AHP) initiative by the Kenyan Government as one of the pillars under the Big 4 Agenda. Both projects are domiciled at the State Department of Housing and Urban Development.

3. Talk to us about some of the ways you unwind and give back to the community

Aware that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, Patricia took up golfing for networking purposes, keeping fit and refocusing, strategizing, and reenergizing. She had back to back schedules that could take a toll on her sometimes. “I needed to have a break when I wasn’t working, but not the kind of break that was an idle break.” Golfing provided physical fitness and, more importantly, interactions with like-minded professionals in the corporate world. Her zeal and zest for trustable brands had Patricia serve in Sunset Golfing Society, where she helped develop a brand identity that went a long way in getting sponsorships during various tournaments.

Besides that, she remained plugged with fellow professionals at the Public Relations Society of Kenya (PRSK), a professional society Patricia belongs to and is passionate about. “I have been a member of the society for the past 11 years, and now as the society marks 50 years of existence, I have intentions to vie for the Vice President position.” I believe I have the potential and capability to serve. I feel that my expertise and net worth will go a long way in delivering important milestones in the pipeline that my colleagues in the profession have put in so much work and dedication to, tirelessly giving their professional input and energy. This will be my way of giving back to society after years of achievement within the industry.

In 2021, Patricia joined Rotary. “Having provided service to others both in the

private sector and public service, I owed it to myself to continue serving humanity the best way possible. As John Bunyan puts it, “You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you”. The mission of Rotary is providing service to others, promoting integrity and advancing world understanding, goodwill and peace through fellowship of business, professional and community leaders. That spoke volumes to me, and I hopped in.

4. We all have some nuggets of wisdom that keep us going. Please share with us your favourite.

• Sometimes what you don’t want is what you need.

• Tomorrow is never promised. Do the best you can right now…it is priceless and can never be bought.

• Do not let the fear of the unknown bring you down. When you are used to having a paycheque for many years, for instance, and you’ve gone through the ranks in your career and look back and are happy with what you have achieved, you probably want to go on and on. • In the public sector, it gets to the apex, and all that is left is routine. “One day I woke up and told myself, it’s never that serious. Those who have made it walking the tight rope alone are not any special than I am. For once, I, too, I was going to wake up and put in the energy for myself, not for anyone, and that led to the birth of Simori Communications in 2019.

• Do you and don’t ever let anyone dictate what your ideal scenario should be. You are in charge of your own happiness. Focus and make it happen for you.

• Consistency in your delivery and character goes hand in hand with reliability. You are reliable because you are consistent and always meet your end of the bargain.

5. You have a wealth of experience now, what is your advice to the youth and generation/youth coming behind you?

As the years go by, I realize fewer people visit libraries, and we struggle with creating a reliable reading culture amongst the younger generation. The internet has changed the world in so many positive ways, but it has also made some people lazy. You will find people using search engines for things you’d never imagine can be searched for. Reading books is beautiful. It builds your mind, helps you think constructively and, more so, sharpens your spoken and written word. I encourage all young people to make reading books a daily habit. It makes them one creative thinker. And for those who want to climb the career ladder in Communications, reading and researching is a must skill to have.

6. As we celebrate International Women’s Day next week, what is your advice to women out there?

• As a woman, you have to work three times as hard as a man because society is too critical of women. I am sure you have seen women who shatter the glass ceiling, and all of a sudden, there are questions and whispers of who her godfather/ godmother is? The only thing that will save you is merit; what you stand for, and the fact that you are a worker, even if they don’t like you. Work until your work introduces you. At all times, do you, the world will adjust.

Ruth Musembi

Ruth is an accomplished Corporate Communication Expert, a proficient educator, and a certified coach.

She has been an adjunct faculty at Daystar University since 2002, and later at Moi University. She currently facilitates executive programs at Daystar University and the University of Nairobi (UK Chartered Institute of PR). She’s also a Consultant trainer for PRSK, and an ordained pastor!

Ruth Musembi describes herself as a natural leader on a mission to affirm and inspire people to be and do their very best. Awesome right? This is how you know that she has found her purpose in life and is ready to live it to her best. Ruth started her career path in academia; teaching in High School for two years, then moved to a teacher training college. After three years, she transitioned to the corporate world and is now CEO of her organisation. to scale. I believe that I have the solution to a nagging problem somewhere. Right now, what makes my heart sing is to use communication as a tool to solve business problems.”

Since 2004, Ruth Musembi has helped establish and run Corporate Communication departments in two government parastatals in Kenya. She positioned both organisations from unknown entities to household brands. She has had the privilege of representing these organisations locally and internationally, including in the USA, UK, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Rwanda, and China on several occasions.

In 2017, Ruth Musembi founded SealComm Consulting Limited. “In response to a constant complaint by business leaders about poor employee productivity, we designed a 90-Day Challenge that includes culture and communication audits, training, coaching, and designing high-performance

SealComm Consulting Limited is essentially disrupting the way corporate communication is viewed. So far, Ruth Musembi describes the feedback she has received from the leaders she has worked with as phenomenal.

“Many of the leaders say that SealComm has inspired average employees to become star performers. We also offer other services including crisis communication and media training, change communication, PR services, CSR & sustainability, customer and employee surveys, production of short video clips, and content writing for blogs & e-newsletters.”

As a trainer, Ruth Musembi is privileged to have taught and trained many corporate communication practitioners, some of whom have become her business associates!

Using your title as a Certified Coach, you run a program known as “Finishing School”. Please tell us your inspiration behind this program and whom does it benefit?

I focus on transition coaching- to help people move from one phase of life or career to another with ease and minimal disruptions. The Finishing School is one of our Transition Coaching programs. It equips young people with productivity skills and soft skills. And in line with my mission, I now run the Young Wives Academy (YWA) to affirm and inspire young wives to be their very best and do the very best for themselves, their marriages, their families, and their community.

You have served in various boards in Government and in your private practice as a PR Professional. Please tell us about some of your contributions that you are most proud of.

In 2019, I was part of the National Taskforce appointed by the CS of the Ministry of ICT Joe Mucheru to advise him on improving government communication. We developed an excellent government communication blueprint that, if implemented, will drastically change the way the government of Kenya communicates. This includes how GoK listens, engages, and interfaces with its citizenry and with other nations.

In 2013 I was recognised by PRSK as an outstanding member and was conferred the Golden Honors Lifetime Achievement Award. “I served as a judge for the PRSK excellence awards for three consecutive years between 2017 and 2019, culminating my service as the Chief Judge. And in August 2019 PRSK admitted me to the College of Fellows, the highest honour for PR and Communication Management practitioners in Kenya.”

You are a woman in a C-suite position as the Chief Executive Officer in your organisation; Seal Communication Consulting Firm, tell us about some tips that are useful for women as we climb the career ladder.

Here are some of the lessons I have learnt over time.

• Continuous improvement. I keep honing my skills, and in return, big doors keep opening right before my eyes! My skills set, my confidence, and my passion for excellence are my three greatest assets. Keep growing, the day you stop learning, you mark and end to your effectiveness. So keep learning at all cost.

• Wear confidence like a jacket. If there is one thing that has opened huge doors for me in employment and the consulting world, I would say, it is my confidence. And one can only be confident if they know their stuff. Hence, I want women to own their game and be confident. We shortchange ourselves when we second guess our capabilities. We have what it takes!

• Be a go-getter; ambition is your friend. I am incredibly ambitious. Starting as a high school teacher, heading communication departments, teaching at the university and now as the CEO of my company. You can become anything you set your eyes on. Never settle for less than you believe you can achieve. Be careful about people determining how far you can go. Identify a real need; make it your niche and run with it.

• Have a solid WHY. To succeed in life, you need laser-sharp clarity on why you are doing what you are doing. This sense of purpose is what keeps me going even when results take longer than anticipated. Your WHY keeps you grounded.

• Better your best. There is no substitute for excellence. Whatever it takes to bring your “A” game, do it. Here, there are no short cuts; if you don’t take time to sharpen your skills and perfect your game, it will show in the quality of your work! Make excellence your daily dose.

• Keep things simple. Simplicity is the highest form of sophistication. But to simplify things, one must understand them so well to distil them into their most salient parts. And when you simplify things, people get it! I have been told repeatedly that I make things seem so simple, so effortless, and so easy to understand. This is because I have learnt the art of simplicity.

• Be your own cheerleader. If you do a good job, celebrate yourself, don’t wait to be celebrated. When you hit a target or a milestone, please find a way to gift yourself and do it in big and small ways, it indeed works wonders! Let others’ recognition be an icing on the cake.

• Plan for balance. Never allow the responsibilities of motherhood to hinder your career. As a manager at the height of my childbearing years, I never missed work because of household chores.

Wow. How did you manage? Many women are struggling to strike a balance between marriage or motherhood and keeping their career. What is the secret?

I had backup plans for everything; a backup house manager, a backup reliable taxi driver and my siblings were always on standby. I strived to employ a very mature house manager whom I empowered to act. If a medical emergency occurred while I was on duty, she would call the taxi driver and inform me they were leaving for the hospital.

I would then catch up with them at the hospital. If I was out of town, I would ask a trusted family member to meet them there. And to motivate my house manager, I always paid her slightly higher than the prevailing rates. I tell career women that