In order to sway public opinion, engage with their followers, and push their agendas, presidential candidates William Ruto (UDA), Raila Odinga (Azimio la Umoja One Kenya), and Prof. George Wajackoyah (Roots Party) have been amassing digital war chests. Both leaders have a huge number of followers. According to statistics, their general number of followers on Facebook and Twitter is 12.2 million. These leaders gather a team of bloggers, communication professionals, journalists, vloggers, and digital experts that help them post content.
Dennis Itumbi who has worked for Local and International Media now leads a group of digital enthusiasts and bloggers whose job is to curate content that sells the agenda of the Kenya Kwanza Alliance. Other members that work for the Kenya kwanza alliance are Emmanuel Talaam who takes part in the communication team, Wanjohi Githae communications director, Eric Ng’eno, Munyori Buku, Gerald Bitok an online content creator, former journalist Atambo Ngoko, Alberto Nyakundi Amenya, Willy Omosa, Cherotich Carren Kiki and Evans Miloo Ruto. The team also sometimes enlists the services of freelance bloggers, who are paid between Sh500 and Sh1,000 per day, depending on the type of work that needs to be done.
The former journalist Dennis Onsarigo is the leader of the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya team. This team consists of ODM director of communication Phillip Etale, Pauline Njoroge of Jubilee, former journalists Mac Otani and Nyambega Gisesa, bloggers Robert Alai and Lord Abraham Mutai, Dikembe Disembe, Adede Adede, Denis Nyambane, and George Nyongesa, Thomas Sankara, Jane Kyalo, Anyamah, Evans Olando, Eddy Illa, Kamisa Kinyua and John Kihara.
In politics, impressions play the main role, and social media today has the largest influence on that. Social media is where breaking news first appears before it is reported as such by mainstream media. Roots Party spokesperson Wilson Gathoni, popularly known as Jaymo Ule Msee has been the main online campaigner for Prof Wajackoyah. Mr. Gathoni has been able to come up with a team of volunteers who are content creators, vloggers, and bloggers for the party.
Platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook are where roots party have been selling their manifestos and doing their campaigns.The three parties have used a variety of tactics to sway public opinion before the elections in an effort to increase their influence, change public opinion, broaden their appeal, and gather more supporters.
Each candidate in Kenya Kwanza runs their own platforms and interacts with their followers, from the MCA level to the presidency. The institutional approach, which includes supporters of William Ruto, Hustler Nation, Hustler Mashinani, and UDA, is the next strategy. For the presidency level, the team has a supporters category that combines teams from all 290 constituencies, Hustler Nation online, county Facebook, Twitter, and other internet pages which help sell the parties agenda across the nation. The Hustler Nation spokesperson and the director of the campaign coordinate interactions and communication across numerous media.
Azimio la Umoja One Kenya on the other hand relies mostly on governors, senators, and even MPs who coordinate the digital campaigns through their communication teams and volunteers.
The country has approximately 12 million WhatsApp users, 7.1 million Facebook users, 8 million YouTube users, 4 million Instagram users, 1 million LinkedIn users, 1 million Twitter users, and 250,000 Snapchat users. These large numbers motivate leaders to campaign and sell their agendas across these platforms.
According to Mr. Kipngeno Kirui of the political consulting and lobbying business SavvyPol, “Between Sh25 million and Sh30 million is allocated to social media during a presidential campaign. This money will support a successful campaign for five to six months.
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