The Public Service Commission (PSC) has raised concerns over the absence of social media communication guidelines in most state institutions. PSC said that there are potential risks in information management and data protection that social media usage poses.
Many government officials are using social media to communicate with the public without guidelines on how information should be disseminated in these platforms.
A recent PSC report reveals that out of 508 public service institutions, 402 (approximately 79 per cent) lack formal social media policies. It found that none of the ministries or state departments have established such guidelines.
“It was established that 106 (21 per cent) institutions had developed social media policy guidelines, while 402 (79 per cent had not). None of the ministries or state departments have developed policy guidelines,” the PSC said in a report.
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Senior government officials, including President William Ruto and his deputy, Kithure Kindiki, frequently use platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp, X (formerly Twitter), podcasts and blogs to communicate with the public. The PSC emphasizes that without proper guidelines, this practice poses challenges in managing information and safeguarding data.
To address these concerns, the PSC has recommended that the State Department responsible for communication and broadcasting develop comprehensive social media engagement guidelines for public officers by June 30, 2025.
The plan to put in place the guidelines on social media use by state officials is likely to have been informed by the contradiction that often comes up between the information shared in social media and the official statement from the government institution.
The commission also acknowledged the role that social media can play in communicating to the public since many Kenyans are now using social media to receive news and other information.
The commission also notes that while many institutions plan to formulate their own policies by this deadline, a centralized set of guidelines would ensure consistency across the public service.
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