State to borrow lessons from China Media Group to improve in public communication

Broadcasting and Telecommunication PS Stephen Isaboke, China Deputy Ambassador Zhang Zhizhong, CMG Africa bureau chief Song Jianing, KBC MD Agnes Kalekye, MCK CEO David Omwoyo and other officials during 80th Anniversary of the Victory of the World Anti-Fascist War held at Nairobi National Museum on August 19, 2025 /DOUGLAS OKIDDY

The government will borrow lessons from China Media Group to enhance its communication to Kenyans on its projects and programmes, Broadcasting and Telecommunications PS Stephen Isaboke has said.

He said yesterday the government is facing some challenges in how it communicates its initiatives, giving room for fake news to spread.

“My state department is initiating some steps in our efforts, to actually enhance public of education. Recently, we have had challenges in terms of how we engage and communicate as government. We now want to ensure that some of the initiatives and projects that the government is doing are publicised and heard better,” Isaboke said.

He regretted that despite the infrastructure projects and the work the government is doing, fake news and misinformation spread more than the real story.

Isaboke spoke at the National Museums of Kenya during the commemorative event marking the 80th Anniversary of the Victory of the World Anti-Fascist War. The anniversary celebrates the triumph of the Chinese people's war of resistance against Japanese aggression.

The event was hosted by China Media Group, a media conglomerate in China that is used by the Chinese government to disseminate information about government programmes and shaping public opinion.

A merger of the China Central Television (CCTV), China National Radio, and China Radio International, CMG operates a vast network of television and radio channels, websites, mobile apps and social media accounts.

Isaboke noted that CMG offers an opportunity for the Kenyan government to share success stories with Kenyans and global audiences.

“We intend to explore lessons from China, especially on social media sites, because China is much bigger than Kenya in terms of population yet you have managed to harness social media platforms for development for the good. And those are some of the things we want to borrow from you,” he added.

During the event, Media Council of Kenya CEO David Omwoyo received five badges of interns who will have an opportunity to work at CMG.

Isaboke thanked the Chinese media organisation, saying the five are a good start for more to get the opportunity in future.

China's Deputy Ambassador Zhang Zhizhong called for the respect of the United Nations in avoiding wars.

“According to the UN Charter, Article 2, all countries shall settle their international disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security and justice are not endangered,” he said.

“Although countries differ from each other in terms of a size, population, economic and military strength, they should be equal in the international community. It is a system based on UN Charter and multilateralism that keeps the earth from another world war since 1945.”

He, however, noted that in recent years, the UN Charter has been challenged over and over again by hegemony by some states.

“What we can learn and we must learn from history is that we should respect the authority of the United Nations, and we should seek for peace by upholding international law, as well as the basic norms governing international relations based on UN charter. History should never be ignored before it is too late,” he said.