- Mwaura takes over the office left vacant by Cyrus Oguna following his appointment by Siaya County Governor James Orengo as his Chief of Staff.
- He is deputised in the role by renowned journalist Mwanaisha Chidzunga and Gabriel Muthuma.
Image: TEDDY MULEI
Excited and energetic is all you could tell from a man entrusted by President William Ruto to be his government's spokesperson.
Ruto appointed former Senator Isaac Mwaura on October 4 as the country's fifth government spokesman in a communication by the Head of Public Service Felix Koskei.
Mwaura takes over the office left vacant by Cyrus Oguna following his appointment by Siaya County Governor James Orengo as his Chief of Staff.
He is deputised in the role by renowned journalist Mwanaisha Chidzunga and Gabriel Muthuma.
The former lawmaker was among 50 Chief Administrative Secretaries (CAS) appointed by Ruto before court nullified the appointments terming them unconstitutional.
Mwaura had been appointed to serve as the CAS in the office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi.
He will be the first person with albinism to serve in the position of government spokesman.
A day after his appointment, Mwaura made his first address to Kenyans at a press conference convened by Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu at his Jogoo House office.
Image: TEDDY MULEI
The Star reached out to the outspoken legislator and firm rights activist and sought to know what his vision is as he takes over the new role.
Q: How do you feel about your new appointment and what does the position mean to you?
I'm extremely excited about the new appointment as the fifth government spokesman, by the fifth President of Kenya William Ruto.
It means a lot to me. It is like putting fish into water. I have the requisite skills. I'm fluent in English and Kiswahili; I can speak in other four languages at varying degrees.
I also have a bachelor's degree from KU, a diploma in Public Relations from KIM, Master of Arts Degree in Development Studies from Nelson Mandela University, and another Master of Arts in Social and Public Policy Studies from the University Of Leeds in the UK.
It is a very important milestone that the face and voice of government is a person with albinism. That is real for all intents and purposes a communication coup, as well, when you come from stigma, discrimination and segregation to be the face of government.
It is a very serious shot in the arm and a great act of confidence and I'm extremely excited that President William Ruto and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua found it fit that I should be the face of our government.
Q: Did your childhood shape your future political career?
My childhood shaped my future career in public communication and politics. I used to be a very outgoing and curious child. In fact, my folks used to tell me in broken English ‘curious killed the cat’ because I used to be very active in dismantling things like nyiitira (wick lamps) to see what was inside.
I loved listening to international news from BBC, Deutsche Welle, etc and writing when I was young which gave me a very big worldview. I loved writing. When we were in primary school, we started a weekly newspaper that we did in Braille.
We would do news for the whole school and it would be widely read to the point that the braille dots would be erased! We started publishing the school newspaper in 1995, for about a year or so.
In high school, I started the journalism, debating and environmental clubs. I also became an editor of a Christian Newsletter Thika United Christian Union News (TUCU News) within the then Thika District.
While at the University, my friends and I started a radio station that was only broadcasting for a few metres.
We called it Comrades FM to campaign for our friends like my friend Maryane Njambi now deputy SG of Kanu. There is a history there. I have been this person who is political but also communicational. These were all geared towards public relations, media and communications.
You have been seeing me in the media a lot. My first appointment in government in 2004, was as a Board Director of the National Council for Persons with Disabilities and I was the chairman of Public Relations and Advocacy for three years. I was hired as a Principal Public Relations Officer of the NCPWD.
That was my first proper job in government. After that, I became the advisor to the former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and then ended up in Parliament in 2013. I have also been doing a radio show at Radio Jambo every Saturday that has been running for the last ten years. I also do a column for the Star Newspaper every Friday.
Q: Will you drop some habits for this new role?
I may not be able to do debates the way I used to do honestly, because now when I speak, I do not speak on behalf of myself but on behalf of the government.
The mouth and face are for the government, I may not be very comfortable with just having altercations, as it’s usually done on shows in adversarial panels.
Q: How often should Kenyans expect updates?
We shall be doing weekly briefings soon when we settle down properly to inform the nation about what is being done by govt to help improve of our lives.
Q: What will be your role as the government spokesman?
It gives me a platform to speak to the nation and to help the government showcase what it's doing.
It is actually to tell the story of the Kenya Kwanza administration, explain the government’s function, and generate news from within the government.
I see the key role of the office of the govt spokesman being the coordination of the messaging of government, towards greater transparency and accountability.
We want to bridge the divide between the government and the media because it hasn’t been very good. It is a very challenging and engaging job and I'm cut out for it.
Q: What are the gaps you have identified and how will you fill them?
Since my predecessor Cyrus Oguna left in September 2022, the seat has been vacant and the government has struggled to do proper communications.
It was waiting for us to come and help solve the problem. I will thus be engaging media owners, editors, reporters, hosts and even bloggers from across the political divide.
Yes, you can critique the government but do not generate fake stories. Do not put the government and its electorate at war.
Q: What will you bring to the table?
A lot of skills. My experience, in communication, public policy, economic development skills, experience in Parliament as a legislator for ten years, rising to the position of vice chairman of the budget committee of the National Assembly and that human touch.
Communication needs to be relational and a sense of ownership. I have also served as a member of the speaker's panel in the senate so am good at interacting with conversations
I see myself as that person who needs to be accountable to everybody in order for Kenyans to get value for their taxes.
Q: How is your role different from Statehouse spokesman?
As spokesman of the government, I represent ministries, departments and agencies.
The Statehouse spokesman deals with communication from the State House. My office is within the office of the President; in the Cabinet Affairs office and the Head of Public Service.
I will receive briefs from Cabinet Secretaries and Principal Secretaries to relay to the public. I will also help to coordinate agencies and public relations campaigns for various govt initiatives.
Q: What are your plans to engage the media?
Dealing with alternative media is also critical. There seems to be a segment of the audience that we do not seem to be reaching to them through both mainstream and new media.
Mainstream media has lost the aggregation grip monopoly because of the democratisation of information superhighway. People are more online at different times. We shall look at how to leverage that.
Q: What should Kenyans expect from you?
You will be getting more timely communication. I expect people to be more informed, and more open to government, people to feel closer to the government, communicating in a language they can understand and that people will feel they have a stake in the manner in which their taxes are utilized.
Let us work hard and improve on our communication, this country belongs to us and I believe that it is in the interest of the media to also get information government.
My office is always open to engage with our public!
Image: TEDDY MULEI