UNDERSTANDING THE OBLIGATION OF MEDIA IN THE EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY INTEGRATION PROCESS By

Obar Mark; E-mail: obarrmark@gmail.com Cell: +254 728762356

The East African Community

The East African Community (EAC) is the regional intergovernmental organization of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania. The East African Community was first formed in 1897 with the construction of the Kenya-

Uganda Railway. The community however, collapsed in 1977 (Kamala, 2006), and was officially dissolved

in 1997. Two years later on 30th of November, 1999, a

treaty for the establishment of the current East African

Community was signed on and was enforced on 7th

of July, 2000 following its ratification by the original

three partner states Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania (Society for International Development, 2011).

In 2011 Rwanda and Burundi acceded and became full

members of the community on July, 2007. In 2005,

the EAC countries established a customs union and

is expected to establish common market within five

years. The East African Community is going through an integration process. Its not yet achieved but the

community has put plans underway to ensure that the bloc is united terms of economic, social and political

ties

IntroductionThe first broad experiment at regional integration in

Africa failed with the collapse of the East African Community (EAC) in 1977. At the time, the EAC was

both a fully-fledged Customs Union and a Common

Market. It shared railways and harbours, airline, civil

aviation, inland waterways, road and lighting, customs and tax management, health and medical research, etc. At the time of its collapse, regional integration in East Africa had reached the highest level of experience in the world.

In 2005, the EAC launched a Customs Union and

declared a Common Market. They reduced tariffs on

goods traded within the community, made it easier for workers and companies to do business in any of

their countries and created institutions to implement policies uniformly across the region. Since then trade within the nations has increased by nearly 50

percent. The next phase of the integration would be

the East African countries entering into the bloc of a

Monetary Union and ultimately become a Political

Federation of the East African States (EAC, 2011).

From 2005 the EAC have used the traditional

ways to maintain a continuous relationship with their publics. Each country has set up an EAC Ministry.

In Kenya we have the Ministry of East Africa Community, whose main function is to coordinate, facilitate and oversee the affairs relating to the EAC. The Ministry has the added responsibility of

facilitating sensitization and awareness campaigns on matters of EAC integration.

Often, any new initiative is met with fears, suspicions and doubts. The desire to re-establish

an East African Community (EAC) is therefore not an exception, given that an earlier attempt of 1967

failed in 1977. This failure could be associated

with many reasons, chief of them being politics.

Yet, factually, all information about EAC reaches

the public through print and electronic media. This

makes communication a key player in the initial and

current attempt of forming an EAC.

At the moment, there is a real need to educate people in the region on EAC, persuaded them to accept the course and appreciate it as beneficial

for individual and collective member states. This means that the media has to play the key role of

creating awareness by correctly informing and educating the general public and the stake holders

on the actualities/ FACTS of the EAC. It is thus my view that EAC integration will only take place

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when, among other major stake holders, the media

are carefully brought on board because the role

of communication in regional development and integration cannot be under estimated.

It is in this given background that I strongly hold

that the success of EAC is dependent upon many factors, media being a major one. Thus, EAC will succeed in the realization of its vision and mission depending on how EAC relates with the media because media will contribute, to a great extent, in making or breaking the community.

Therefore, my argument is that the EAC media has the capability, through repeated news coverage,

to successfully raise the importance of the EAC integration agenda in the public mind.

Proper coverage by the media of the activities of

the community both at the HQ and in the member

states hence plays a key role. This will generate

citizens awareness, understanding and support for the integration project. Communication thus plays a key role in addressing the fears, suspicions and

doubts about the motives and prospects of regional

integration.

For the success of the EAC, the stake holders

ought to consider the media as a major partner and player. The media will assist in setting the EAC as an agenda for the people. The success of EAC is dependent upon many factors including the media.

Challenges Facing the East African Community

To appreciate what role media relations has in promoting the efforts of the EAC, it would be

important to understand the challenges being faced.

There are a lot formed opinions and views as to why East Africa Community was once again brought to

life by three main countries Kenya, Uganda and

Tanzania. Some players see it as a drive by Kenya

to export surplus capital while Uganda seeks an

outlet for its surplus labour and Tanzania visualises

to realise a Pan-African vision for her population. It is

however very spot-on that some of these commonalities

go far deeper. Many people in the East African countries can still remember the former Community and even

the sharp sense of loss at its eventual dissolution. Further cynically, the historical ambitions that led to

the collapse of the first integration are still lingering

in the offing, and they still provide the potentiality

for politicians and other vested interests to hold the community at ransom. So, what could be the best

solution for this impending fallout and how best can

media relations solve this looming uncertainty?

The East African Community has faced a great deal of challenges since its inception. This can be attributed

(among other factors) to the level of involvement of the media relations department in the integration process among other things. It could even explain the collapse of the previous EAC which may lead one to conclude that the role of media relations in the EAC has in the past been a promotional one. The EACs vision is to

attain a prosperous, competitive, secure and politically united East Africa. The mission is to widen and deepen economic, political, social and cultural integration in order to improve the quality of life of the people of East Africa through increased competitiveness, value added production, and enhanced trade and investment. (EAC, 2011) There are various challenges in line with

both the mission and vision.

Among the challenges which target the successful integration of the economic, political, social and cultures of all countries include economies which continue to be encumbered by low competitiveness;

the area of transport in the railway industry of the concessioning of the central railway system in Tanzania and the Kenya-Uganda Railway; in the

Agricultural development and food security sector where high food prices continue to affect assistance to the most poor and hungry as well as re-launching

agriculture and revitalizing rural communities in order

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to ensure a secure EAC food situation; a changing,

highly dynamic and competitive posture in the East African scene in investments and trade promotion among others.

However the challenge of communication is

heavy. A consolidation of the East African media conglomerate in print, electronic or both are a

strategic partner in driving the integration agenda forward. There is the East African newspaper being

one of the channels that delivers news on a financial

front to the people of EAC. With the EAC forging deeper and wider integration, if the aspects are not well managed, they could cause major setbacks.

Issues in line with funding - whereby long financial

clearing processes such as flawed tendering process

may delay or compromise the quality of paid communication such as documentaries. There is also the tarnished image due to the past failure of the post-independence EAC; the general public and

media are skeptical about the current organization.

The stakeholders have to turn this image into a more

favorable one by using media and communication

platforms to sensitize the citizens of the member

states on the importance of such regional integration.

There-in lies the role the media needs to play in

promoting better understanding of the complexity

of the Common market showing commitment

within EAC partner states. The full potential of EAC will be best realized when the media supports the

efforts being undertaken while being sensitive and

respectful of national conditions. The challenges facing the EU single market attests to the need to

galvanize political will as well as the commitment of East African citizens around shared integration goals. The media has a unique place and role to play in this worthy task. The major solution will

be in line with communicating as many successes

as possible and that is why the media relations will

play a big role.

The Need for Media Relations

Unlike many citizens and economists of the member

states, the corporate communities of these countries are far more positive and hopeful about the benefits

of EAC integration, customs union and even the lager integration that has not yet been realised. In a wider

developmental view, there are ciphers of a business

ethos oriented to making profits over economics

of scale and not necessarily on protectionism. All these spheres of economic wellbeing can never be

understood correctly without an integrated media for the East African Community.

It is however imperative to note that EAC has had good media platform as reflected in the previous projects

and initiatives they have carried out before. A good

example is from a speech that was delivered by Mr.

Magana Alot, the Principal Information and Public

Relations Officer/ Head, EAC Directorate of Corporate

Communications and Public Affairs where he clearly

brought out that EAC recognized the importance of

media in regional integration as it is a vital tool to pass on the messages to the publics (Alot, 2012). The most

important thing would be to institutionalize the Media

Relations for East African Community in a way that would promote peace and development among the member states. On this basis, the concerned citizens

will understand the essence and importance of having good relations with the media which will in turn help reach other stakeholders. As such they should use

the experience and knowledge gained to bring about

awareness and promote the vision and mission of EAC as well as its activities.

One of the key initiatives that EAC has is the Training

Journalists on Reporting Regional Integration they can be used to train about the mission and vision.

These trained journalists have a deeper understanding on the issues EAC are facing and it would work well

for the journalists to push out information in the EACs perspective. The journalists could also use 3

examples and cover stories and documentaries that demonstrate the spirit of regional integration with a message on how the people of EAC can take part in

enhancing integration in their own little way.

The media owners and practitioners are important when it comes to media relations as they decide on what will be channeled out to the public. EAC

should take advantage of the East African Media

Summit which they already institutionalized and use it as a platform to talk about its vision and

mission to the media owners and practitioners who are the key target for this annual event. During this

Summit, EAC should provide key focus areas that

the media personnel can uptake and cover in their

media houses. It would also be a way of involving

the public by providing content that allows for

debate.

The EAC has publications in its name and could

use them in publicity. Further, they should make

use of their website which has numerous resources

such as the Community monthly e-newsletter. All

these materials could be used for interaction with

the various stakeholders especially those who are

reached out to through these resources. The social media will also enable them to have feedback and

therefore better communication with the publics.

The EAC should build on the already existing

positive media relations by encouraging and

promoting the staff to engage more with the media and have a positive media culture. This will build on

the staffs confidence and enable them to have the

will to interact and they make themselves available

to the media (Local government. Improvement and development, 2009). The EAC should create

a media strategy which is linked to the overall

goal of communication. The strategy should include a detailed action plan which will assist in accountability and focus by the team (Local

Government Improvement and Development, 2009). This will enable them to be on check and also

enhance the already existing relationships.

The EAC should also maximize on people like Public Information Officer (PIO). Every team member of the

EAC, irrespective of the role they play, should have an understanding of who the PIO is and what his or

her role entails. Allen (2012) states that some of the

PIOs tasks are: scheduling interviews, developing and

maintaining a media contact list, selecting appropriate team members for interviews, preparing selected team

members for interactions with the media, escorting

media representatives and VIPs throughout the

operational area, issuing press releases and gathering and verifying information. In addition, the PIO must

possess a knowledge base about disaster management,

the Federal Response Plan, and the history and capability

of his or her team. The person selected to serve as EACs PIO must have the ability to communicate in an

effective and professional demeanour and have strong verbal skills. He or she must have the ability to work

well under pressure and think quickly in the moment.

This is the spokesperson for their team; any requests

that come from the media should be directed to the

PIO.

With that said, this paper suggests that the role media relations in enabling the East African Community

(EAC) to realize its vision and mission of regional integration should be a strategic role based on the

most effective model of media relations, the two-way

symmetrical model. A model that ensures that the reasons behind activities or decisions are understood

and supported by all that are involved (Rama Krishnan,

2007).Consequently, the corporate and the public both

benefit.

This approach is most appropriate for the East African Community because of the various challenges the

region has been facing with regards to the integration

process. According to Anami (2012), the inability of

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EAC secretariat to enforce its treaties, rules and decisions on member countries have resulted to

the poor implementation of the customs union and common market, two very vital stages towards the

creation of a monetary union. According to Kamala (2006) the biggest challenge is the inability of

members of the region to view themselves as East

African citizens as opposed to individual citizens of member states. This could explain the high

level of suspicion among individual states which has resulted to the slow implementation of EAC secretariats decisions by member states.

Therefore, the media relations department should be involved in working with various media for the

purpose of informing the public of an organizations

mission, policies and practices in a positive, consistent and credible manner (Johnston, 2008).

By doing so, media relations will help promote awareness, discourse and involvement of the broad

range of stakeholders in the East African regional

integration process. For example, the media will be

able to demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness

as well as more visibility of the activities,

achievements and competitiveness in the region and beyond. When the people are aware of the

community; that is, they see it and feel its presence,

they would appreciate it more and acknowledge its

benefits and prospects. Additionally, they would

get increasingly invested in it and participate in its projects and programs as well as apply positive pressure on the leadership to ensure its viability and

sustainability.

This approach to media relations will also allow for the EAC to work in an open system since it will

be highly involved with its publics. According to

Austin and Pinkleton (2006) this kind of system

allows for an organization to implement changes to adjust to the ever changing environment hence avoid becoming irrelevant and ineffective.

The approach would also allow for the EAC to set the agenda with the media hence promote positive sensitization of the East African people on the great and overriding importance of regional integration. According to Cornelissen (2008) agenda setting is the

frequency with which the media report on an issue

determines that issues salience in the minds of the general public, (p. 132). Through agenda setting, the

publics will constantly hear EAC matters and possibly

place at a certain level of importance on them. This could consequently lead to agenda building among the

publics hence cause them to influence each other and

lead to the change of policies (Society for International development, 2011).

For all this to happen, the EAC media relations department will have to use a wide range of tools and techniques to ensure news coverage as well as monitor news reports about their organization to

enable it to achieve its objectives. These tools include;

press releases, press conferences, interviews, media monitoring and media research. In addition to that, the EAC communication practitioners will have to form and maintain relationships with journalists.

The relationship between corporate communication

practitioners and journalists can have an impact on the quality of news coverage about the organization. This

is because it helps promote the organization in good

times and defend it during a crisis (Cutlip & Canter, 2000). Therefore, EAC media relation practitioners

should form and maintain a good network with the

media so as to ensure factual coverage. It should constantly engage in meetings with reporters just to build goodwill and credibility. It should not turn away

from the media and only appear when a crisis hits or when it has information to share (Argenti, 2009). The

EAC communication professionals will also have to engage journalists in negotiations to ensure that news and reports are released in line with its objectives. This

is referred to as the framing theory which focuses on how messages are created so that they connect with 5

how people receive information and pass judgments on an organization. (Cornelissen, 2008)

Through the use of appropriate news tools, EAC can also achieve its intended vision and mission. For example it will be more appropriate for it to have a

press conference as opposed to a press release. This is because a press release aims to transfer news to

journalists so that it can be made public. According

to Cornelissen (2008) a press release is placed in

the media when it has newsworthy events or items that are current and they have a human appeal or interest. On the other hand, a press conference is used when the information cannot be conveyed in a

standardized written form or when the information is controversial or sensitive (Cornelissen, 2008).

As we already know, matters concerning regional

integration are very sensitive.

The EAC should also carry out media monitoring and research. According to Argenti (2009) this

consists of monitoring the media relations effort. By conducting the research, the EAC avoids giving reporters information that is not necessary and communication will only occur when the audience is receptive. Intended effect of the media can also be

achieved through advertising. Advertisers control content placement and timing by paying for media

advertising and space. This way, the EACs position and presence is enhanced in the eyes of the public

(Rice & Atkins, 2001).

Defining Media Relations

Media Relations is an on-going systematic

managerial effort to establish and maintain mutually

beneficial relationships between the organization (in

this case EAC) and its internal and external publics, on which its success or failure depends. Media Relations is thus the link between the organization and the internal and external publics, as well as the media.

The roles of media relations in attaining the vision/mission of EAC

1.1 Dissemination of information/education of

members

The EAC will require the participation of all the potential member states and key stakeholders including

the citizens of these nations. For this participation to be effective, these internal and external publics will

have to be informed of the key details of the plan

of integration and kept up to date about any further

steps taken; what each member state stands to gain or

lose and the intended goals. This will be done by the

EAC through all kinds of media, be it social, print or

electronic - by a Media Relations Officer or a Media

Relations Department as a whole. In passing relevant and correct information regularly to the parties involved, the EAC will be cultivating and engaging in

effective community relations. In addition, EAC media relations will educate persons who are members of

other economic blocs like COMESA (Common Market

for Eastern and Southern Africa), and SADC (Southern Africa Development Corporation) for the need to come together and strengthen the EAC (Mnema, 2012).

Issues of non-compliance by member states should be

highlighted. EAC media relations officers will engage

with the media on these issues both at national and

regional levels.

1.2 Crystallization of unformed opinions

Through media relations, the EAC can emphasize its achievements thus far causing its internal and external publics to have the good kind of faith on them. By way

of example, the EAC can run features of the benefits

accrued thus far by the customs union, the common

market and the monetary union. When this information

is emphasized, a majority of the stakeholders will

have more faith in the organization, in its vision and

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mission and in its integration of the nations. Such processes by the EAC will cause the stakeholders to

not only form good opinions and have faith, but to

also conserve these opinions for long time periods;

to have firm faith in the EAC. Media relations will

also educate the people of the region on issues of integration, protecting core national values and interests. The crystallization of unformed opinions can be considered to be the very first step in creating

and maintaining adequate community relations. Public relations should be proactive in informing

people on issues like monetary policy, and the

endeavours of the customs union.

1.3 Environmental Analysis

Media Relations makes use of research. Media

Relations research can, for instance, take the forms

of SWOT and PESTLE analyses. These two, as well

as other types of analyses, are very important to the East African Community. One vision and one mission simply cannot be implemented in a good number

of nations without prior analyses of the existing circumstances. A SWOT analysis will enable the

EAC to understand the strengths, the weaknesses,

the opportunities and the threats it will have to face in integrating the processes in the nations concerned. The PESTLE analysis will enable the EAC to grasp

the political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental circumstances in the various nations. This will enable the nation respect the

authorities in the respective nations and use the appropriate means of communication, for example, to pitch their ideas further. By carefully analysing its SWOT and PESTLE, the EAC will be forging

relationships with investors and others who share its interest for East Africa; the EAC will be engaging in

investor relations.

1.4 Advocacy role

Media relations will play the role of an advocate for the EAC. It will promote and intensify the free movement of people, goods and services across common borders.

Media relations will be a mediator in the issue of

infrastructure among member states, in terms of good

road networks, reducing air transport, and making

easier the movement of goods on common ports. Media relations will also be the voice for the voiceless in the

region. It will bring the integration process closer to the

people, as well as lead the crusade for strengthening the spirit of unity and engendering the as East African identity (Nyambuga, 2008).

1.5 Crisis Communication/peace building

One of the reasons why there have been clashes in

Kenya is that cultures/ ethnic groups cannot tolerate each other. Regional integration for the EAC, as stated in its mission, entails an integration of cultures; this

is very likely to cause multiple crises if not given a

thoughtful approach. The EAC will foresee these signs or miss them altogether, thus crisis communication, prior to, during and after the crises will be required

and handled by a media relations department. Crisis

communication is one of the main functions of media relations, also known as issues management.

In addition, media relations must promote peace and security for the region to achieve its vision and mission. The region is currently threatened by insecurity

from Islamic fundamentalists like Al Shabab militia.

Media relations will promote peace and security in the region by promoting the peaceful settlement of

disputes among member states, good governance, and

adherence to principles of democracy, the rule of law, accountability, transparency, social justice, and equal

opportunities among members (Othieno, O. 2012).

1.6 Media Relations Audits

Media Relations necessitates audits before, during

and after an organization takes up certain projects; for

the EAC, this project is ultimately the creation of a 7

political federation of the East African states. The audits enable an understanding of what has been

achieved, what is yet to be achieved and the degree

of the disparity between these two variables. This is

according to Local Government Improvement and Development. For the EAC, the Media Relations audit will enable an analysis of how residents

gain their information about the council an

analysis of the EACs media monitoring statistics

and a survey of all the journalists involved, also

according to Local Government Improvement and Development. Media relations audits will help the EAC to bridge the gaps in its operations/ processes

as they crop up and will eventually aid the positive growth of investor and community relations.

1.7 Telling the East African story

Media relations practitioners will engage with the media in telling the East African story. Issues around politics, economics, and diplomacy in the region will be told by East Africans themselves, with the EAC

playing the key role of the initiator of the telling

of these stories. Such stories should not come from the Western media. More often than not, stories from Western media on East Africa and the African continent are often tilted to the negative, portraying Africa as a continent of doom experiencing woes that can hardly accelerate/ aid integration (Smith, 1998). Therefore, East Africa must take ownership

of their story and promote the EAC integration agenda. Such stories should highlight the benefits of

this integration such as seeking education and health

care services among member states. Challenges of

the region should also be highlighted, such as the

skepticism surrounding Kenyas dominance of the

region and thus, the fear by other nations, of losing

cultural identity. Media relations will engage with editors, producers, writers, journalists, reporters in dealing with these issues. A good platform can be The East Africa, a newspaper targeting the East African audience.

Newspaper Analysis on Media Coverage for East African

Community StoriesNewspaper study was done between the months of June and December, 2012 to determine the level of coverage of media reports on matters of East African Community and such issues that directly or indirectly affected the communitys integration. Three major newspapers were used in this study; The East African Newspaper, The Daily Nation and The Daily Standard Newspaper. These newspapers were preferred on the basis of their orientation to the East African audiences. Virtually, the three newspapers have got the largest audiences in the whole of East Africa. It is also noteworthy to mention that the three newspapers are owned by Kenyan companies or media groups. The East African Newspapers and The Daily Nation Newspaper are owned by Nation Media Group NMG which is the largest media organization in East and Central Africa, while The Standard Newspaper is owned by The Standard Group in Kenya.

Quantitative Analysis on News Coverage

The East African Newspaper has got the widest distribution platform in East African whereas The Daily Nation and The Standard Newspapers are more of Kenyan newspapers which also have audiences across the East African Community. The Standard and The Daily Nation carry over 80% of Kenyan based news items and other reports; the other items can be International News which may also include matters of the East African Community and other countries including international football and advertisements. To the contrary, The East African Newspaper which has got the largest audience across the East African Community carries over 60% of International news items and media reports, and more specifically on matters that in one way or the other affect the East African people.

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Researched; Designed by Obar Mark;- E-mail: obarrmark@gmail.com Cell: +254728762356

The percentages showing summary of an averaged news coverage with The East African Newspaper, The Daily Nation and The Standard Newspaper.

The East African Newspaper

The Daily NationNewspaper

The Standard Newspaper

Countries News Items

6% 82% (Kenyan) 83% (Kenyan)

World News Items 23% 8% 6%East African News 68% 2% 1%Other Stories and Advertisements

3% 10% 10%

The above prcis noticeably shows that the three newspapers major on stories that directly affect people in locations where their market strengths are bigger. The Daily Nation Newspaper and The Standard Newspaper have major strengths in Kenya. Therefore, most of the stories (over 80%) are Kenyan stories. On the other hand, The East African Newspaper that appears to be having an evenly distributed marketing strength across East Africa and all over the world tends to major on stories of the East African people (over 65%). After viewing the websites of the three newspapers, it was very evident that most of them carry more of world news online than on the papers. This is because the local populations prefer to read the hardcopy newspapers to reading the online publications. The websites therefore, are the most convenient media for the world population; especially for those people who are affected by matters of the East African yet they cant get hard copies easily. This majorly applies to the population of Africans in the Diaspora. Another observation is that; the percentages of news coverage on the papers are directly proportional the market strengths of the various newspapers. Its however not very clear, the numbers of copies that The Daily Nation Newspaper and The Standard Newspaper sell in a single day or a week in Kenya and across the East African Community since the numbers do ebb and flow as per the season and factors of economies. The East African newspaper has got markets across the East African Community, especially in Kenya and Uganda where a large percentage of the people can read English. Its however sold more in Kenya than any of the East African countries. This probably explains the level of information that Kenyans have on matters of the East African Community as compared to other EAC member states.

In a period of six months, from June to December, over one hundred stories were published by the three newspapers on matters that directly or indirectly touch on the East African Community. Averagely, this is around 13% of the total news items published by the three news papers across East Africa. However, when looking at each newspapers coverage, The East African Newspapers carries the largest of the East African news items, with over 60% of the East African News. The Daily Nation and The Standard Newspapers have got around 1% of news coverage on matters of the East African Community.

The month of June marks a new financial year for a number of East African states. In the same month, the three newspapers are plausibly supposed to consider matters of the East African Integration as well as those of their respective countries. However, in the first week of the month of June, 2012, The East African Newspaper had published five stories on matters of the East African Community while The Daily Nation and The Standard Newspapers had only published one story, each.

In the last month of the year 2012, December, The East African Newspaper had published up to a total of 73 stories on matters of East African Community whereas The Daily Nation and The Standard Newspaper had only published 12 and 9 stories respectively.

News reports on matters of The East African Community in the first week of June, 2012 and the last week of December, 2012 that is, within a period of six months.

The East African Newspaper

The Daily Nation Newspaper

The Standard Newspaper

Percentage of Coverage (%)

9

First Week of the year (June, 2012)

5 1 1 7.4%

Total number of stories up to the Last week of December, 2012

73 12 9

Total number of stories on EAC within six months

78 13 10

Total number of stories in six months time: 101stories = 100%

Averagely, over 7% of the total number stories that were reported on The East African Community within a period of six months were published every week. However, such newspapers like The Daily Nation and The Standard Newspapers could report as low as less than one percent in each week. This means that there are some weeks when The Daily Nation and The Standard Newspapers never reported any news items on matters of the East African Community.

There are around 24 weeks in six months, each month having 4 week. In each week averagely, The East African Newspapers published 3.2 % of the stories covered within six months. The East African NewspaperWeekly stories on average; [78/24] = 3.25

In percentage, The East African Newspaper published; [3.25 by 100] = 325/101 = [3.217821781] = 3.2% in a week.

On the other hand, The Daily Nation and The Standard Newspaper published 1 story or, at times the two papers had no story about the East African Community. This brings the percentage publication by the two papers to less than 1% per week. This culture in tow local dailies, The Daily Nation and The Standard Newspapers could probably explain why there is very minimal information on matters of the East African Community among the member states of the community.

Kenya has got the largest literate population as compared to any of the EAC member states. Many Kenyans have obtained formal education and are capable of reading and understanding English. Some member states of the East African Community are still struggling with serious educational drawbacks in their academic systems, and such people can hardly understand matters of integration. There is a special need to ensure that everyone in East African is capable of reading and understanding English which is used as the main language of communication in major countries of the world. A country like Tanzania has got the largest part of her population unable to speak in English. The main language in Tanzania is Kiswahili which is common in East Africa though the literate population by a hairs breadth use Kiswahili as the official language for communication. In fact, the three newspapers categorically write in English. Language dynamics is a prickly issue that should be addressed very well by the Media Relations Office for the EAC. It is even recommendable to have matters of the EAC published in various languages that the member states population can understand.

Topical Issues of PublicationIt was important to know some of the most dominant topics and to understand the reasons behind such dominancy in the publications in the three major newspapers across East Africa. Even before the reintegration of the East African Community, there are some topics which were very common in the media of the various East African states. Some of these topics are still very live in the media even after the reintegration. However, there are some topics which have also emerged and have overtaken the previously dominant topics. One of such a topic is security which has of late become a very important theme among the East African states. This is probably due to the emergence of some insurgency groups in East Africa like the Al-shabaab Militia group in Kenya, Uganda and Somalia and M23 Militia outfit in the Democratic Republic of Congo. However much some of these militia groups are not based in the member states of the EAC, their effects are very much grievous to the East African Integration, and the security challenge is therefore a common denominator.

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There are nine major topical issues which have received widespread reports in East African Community; Matters that directly touch of Integration, Financial Matters, Infrastructure Development issues, Inter-regional and Foreign Countries Interests, Policy Building Matters, Matters of the member States, The East African Legislative Assembly, Security and Other Interested African Countries. There are also some other topics like education which has also been discussed but it has not been given a very wide coverage because of the different academic systems among the member states.

Example 1: EAC Universities Offer Journalists Courses on Regional IssuesThe EAC Institute for Regional Integration and Development and Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) launched a Diploma programme by August, 2012 to train Journalists on Integration matters.

Example 2: EAC Studies in University of TanganyikaUniversity of Lake Tanganyika has introduced courses for regional integration.

The distribution of the topical EAC matters that were widely reported between June to December, 2012. The reports were covered in three regional newspapers, namely The East African Newspaper, The Daily Nation and The Standard Newspapers. Financial Matters

Security Infrastructural Development

Inter-regional Relation

Integration Matters

Reports on the Member States

EACLA P o l i c y Building

O t h e r Interested Countries

13 stories 6 stories 11 stories 8 stories 15 stories 1 6 stories

3 stories 1 0 stories

3 stories

12% 5% 10.8% 8% 14.8% 15.8% 2.9% 10% 2.9%

From the table above, its clear that the three Newspapers do prioritize matters that directly affect the East African member states with over 15% percent of the reports done on the member states of the East African Community. Its however interesting to note that most of the reports on matters that directly affect the East African Countries were on Kenya. It had been noted that the above three regional newspapers are owned by Kenyan companies. At the same time, Kenyan has got a lot more of stories that touch on East African Integration than other countries. This is because Kenya will be going for a General Election in March 4, 2013 and all East African Countries are doing their very best to ensure that Kenya conducts a free, fair and peaceful election after the 2007/8 election that led to violence in the disputed presidential poll. Most importantly to note, Kenya has the strongest economic power in the East African Community; its more developed than any of the EAC countries and has lots of economic activities that keep it in the media lights throughout.

The other factor is that two of the three newspapers analysed are Kenyas local dailies; The Daily Nation and The Standard Newspapers. The two newspapers tend to concentrate more of the issues that directly affect Kenya rather than other the East African countries.

Distribution of stories among the East African Community member states in the three regional newspapers of the EAC.

No. of direct Stories / country

Percentage

Kenya 9 Stories 56.25%Uganda 1 Story 6.25%Tanzania 3 Stories 18.75%Rwanda 2 Stories 12.5%Burundi 1 6.25%Total no. of stories on the EAC member countries

16 Stories

100% 11

There are nine major topical issues which have received widespread reports in East African Community; Matters that directly touch of Integration, Financial Matters, Infrastructure Development issues, Inter-regional and Foreign Countries Interests, Policy Building Matters, Matters of the member States, The East African Legislative Assembly, Security and Other Interested African Countries. There are also some other topics like education which has also been discussed but it has not been given a very wide coverage because of the different academic systems among the member states.

Example 1: EAC Universities Offer Journalists Courses on Regional IssuesThe EAC Institute for Regional Integration and Development and Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) launched a Diploma programme by August, 2012 to train Journalists on Integration matters.

Example 2: EAC Studies in University of TanganyikaUniversity of Lake Tanganyika has introduced courses for regional integration.

The distribution of the topical EAC matters that were widely reported between June to December, 2012. The reports were covered in three regional newspapers, namely The East African Newspaper, The Daily Nation and The Standard Newspapers. Financial Matters

Security Infrastructural Development

Inter-regional Relation

Integration Matters

Reports on the Member States

EACLA P o l i c y Building

O t h e r Interested Countries

13 stories 6 stories 11 stories 8 stories 15 stories 1 6 stories

3 stories 1 0 stories

3 stories

12% 5% 10.8% 8% 14.8% 15.8% 2.9% 10% 2.9%

From the table above, its clear that the three Newspapers do prioritize matters that directly affect the East African member states with over 15% percent of the reports done on the member states of the East African Community. Its however interesting to note that most of the reports on matters that directly affect the East African Countries were on Kenya. It had been noted that the above three regional newspapers are owned by Kenyan companies. At the same time, Kenyan has got a lot more of stories that touch on East African Integration than other countries. This is because Kenya will be going for a General Election in March 4, 2013 and all East African Countries are doing their very best to ensure that Kenya conducts a free, fair and peaceful election after the 2007/8 election that led to violence in the disputed presidential poll. Most importantly to note, Kenya has the strongest economic power in the East African Community; its more developed than any of the EAC countries and has lots of economic activities that keep it in the media lights throughout.

The other factor is that two of the three newspapers analysed are Kenyas local dailies; The Daily Nation and The Standard Newspapers. The two newspapers tend to concentrate more of the issues that directly affect Kenya rather than other the East African countries.

Distribution of stories among the East African Community member states in the three regional newspapers of the EAC.

No. of direct Stories / country

Percentage

Kenya 9 Stories 56.25%Uganda 1 Story 6.25%Tanzania 3 Stories 18.75%Rwanda 2 Stories 12.5%Burundi 1 6.25%Total no. of stories on the EAC member countries

16 Stories

100%

Political issues on integration are very vital to the community, though the reports on integration only takes 14.8% of the total topical issues reported within a period of six months. To date, there are a number of misconceptions on the East African Integration, and probably its because of the overlooked reports done by the regional Journalists who also work for particular local media houses.

Its no doubt that local matters will sell better in a local newspaper as compared to selling regional information to a local population. This is because the media has not been able to change the mentality of the people of the East African States. Not unless, the people of East African Community begin to see themselves as citizens of one country, it will be difficult to manage the integration matters. Doubts, misconception and fears will still exist. Its the role of the Media Relations to ensure that information coverage of matters on the East African Community is raised from 14.8% to more than 42%. This can only be achieved when there is a very competent East African Community Media Relations Office that will be able to spread the East African Integration agenda above any other thing.

Misapprehension on the Formation of the East African Community That Media Relation Would Address

When we arrived from Nairobi to attend a

conference in Arusha Tanzania. We talked to the

taxi driver who picked us up on his views about the

East Africa Community. He said, hiyo East Africa itawafidi waKenya tu (That East Africa will only

benefit the Kenyans). Why? I asked him. He said

that the EAC will only benefit Kenyans because the Kenyan economy is good, their currency is strong

and Kenyans are developed in varied. So they will

be more aggressive and benefit more than the other

East African Community members. His conclusion?

Sioni haja ya hiyo EAC kwa Watanzania. I do not see the relevance of the EAC to Tanzanians.

Interestingly, a colleague with whom we picked the

same cab to New Mwanza hotel had asked this same

question to the taxi driver who took him to Jomo

Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. The Kenyan

answer: Let this EAC take off very fast. We want to go

to Tanzania and acquire property and also do business.

Of course both scenarios are different one totally rejecting the idea of the EAC and the other totally accepting the idea and even longing for EAC to take

off immediately. Yet, what is common in these two illustrations is that both are wrong factually, because their acceptance or rejection of the EAC is based on their fears and misconception.

These misconceptions translate into FEAR, that is, what Mbae (2012) calls False Evidence Appearing Real.

These two people represent many other men, women and youth across the five member states of EAC who

are either excited and longing for the realization of the EAC, or nervous and praying daily that the Association does not take off. Of course, their reasons are also

based on many fears and misconception.

And this thus brings us to the gist of my paper, which

examines The Role of Media Relations in Enabling the East African Community Realize its Vision and Mission

The Fears and Misconceptions over the Formation of East African Community

1.0 There are fears and suspicion by EAC governments,

ordinary citizens and the political elite.2.0 There is a lot of fallow land in Tanzania and the

Kikuyus of Kenya will come to grab/occupy it.

3.0 The EAC will weaken the Kenyan shilling

4.0 The high standards of Kenyan education and

economy will be weakened by the EAC

5.0 Some countries stand to benefit more while others

will just lose if the EAC is established

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6.0 People will come here (and here could be Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, or Burundi) to take our jobs

7.0 EAC will bring instability in our countries Rwanda Genocide, Kenyas post-election violence, etc

8.0 Kenya will dominate the region

9.0 Fear of losing cultural identity that we shall cease to be who we are (Kenyans, Ugandans, Tanzanians,

etc)

In Terms of Media Relations, what do we already have & what can we strengthen?1.0 There already exists varied reputable Print and Electronic media in the region which could be used

to front the EAC agenda. For instance, there is the East African newspaper, EATV, and EARadio, and the EAC website.

2.0 The other key initiatives that EAC has is the Training of Journalists on Reporting Regional

Integration. That is, journalists for the region, not just for ones country. The EAC should employ EAC media practitioners.

3.0 It is crucial to establish periodic media briefs to update EAC members. What is happening at the

moment is sporadic (random, infrequent) reporting of EAC by member state journalists, and depending on

what they want to highlight i.e. selective reporting about other countries or total blackout until there will be

BREAKING NEWS from that country.

Critiques on the Media Relations for East African Community

One of the most critical areas within any corporate communication function is the media relations department. This is because the media are both a constituency (community/population) and a conduit (medium, means of

expression) through which investors, employees, and consumers receive information about and form images

of a company. This makes it a make or break entity that at the same time no organization can do without.

1.0 One of the critiques of media usage of the EAC is that the real issues that hamper the growth of the EAC are not effectively addressed. Kimanuka stresses that the reasons that led to the collapse of the EAC way

back in 1971 have not been adequately addressed. There still exists suspicion and lack of trust among

member states on issues such as the ongoing discussions on Monetary Union and others (Kimanuka,

2012)

2.0 The EACs media relations further suggests that a lot of information is divulged through newspapers and notices. However, this information does not penetrate to its publics. Thus a majority of East Africans are

still largely unaware of EACs policies and programmes.

3.0 Moreover, the media recognizes the challenge of poor infrastructure in the EAC member countries, which

has been a setback in our overall progress. The EACs media relations practice model tends to be the Public

Information model characterized by one-way communication. In a report by Kituo Cha Katiba (KCK), EACs communication strategy is described as weak both at the EAC Headquarters and in each of the

member states. The Treaty has never been translated into Kiswahili, a language commonly used in the region.

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The report found that the greatest majority of people interviewed and consulted knew nothing

or very little about the EAC Treaty as there

was lack of adequate and relevant information.

KCK through interviews also established that

people regarded the evolution of EAC as a top-

down and not a bottom-up process with limited

involvement of the ordinary person.

Recommendations on the Media Relation for East African Community

1.0 The EAC should therefore adopt model four of the excellence theory by Jim Grunig and

Todd Hunt 1984, i.e. a 2-way symmetrical

model whereby PR pros listen to the

concerns of both clients and key publics

and help them adapt to one another. This

will ensure that a balanced picture is given,

which will be inclusive of the pros and cons

of EAC. The EAC should use this model to continually communicate its vision and mission to its key publics and stakeholders.

A scientific-based research should be carried

out and with the new information acquired, the fears and misconceptions that the publics

have about regional integration of the EAC

will ensure trust, transparency and overall mutual benefits to all parties.

2.0 It is imperative that EAC must create better

media relations by having several media

briefings to ensure that the media know

who-is-who in the organization and also

to be able to forge rapports with them. In

addition, the EAC can update the media by

sending information to them often, to enable

them have better relationships.

3.0 Finally, the EACs media relations office

can learn from other countries which have been

successful in forming such structures. A good example is the European Union, which consists of 27 European countries and has developed

into a huge single market with the euro as its

common currency. However, the EAC media

relations office needs to contextualize the ideas

acquired from the European Union to the EAC as some of the challenges faced by the East

Africa countries such as poor infrastructure may not be a challenge in other developed parts

of the world.

Conclusion In conclusion, the role of media relations is definitely

necessary for any organization including the East African Community. The strategic role based on the

most effective model of media relations, the two-way

symmetrical model can enable it to realize its vision

and mission. It can do this by involving all the relevant

publics and ensuring that they know and understand

the importance of regional integration.

This can be done through agenda setting which can

be done effectively if the EAC forms and maintains a

good relationship with the media as well as makes use

of appropriate tools and techniques in disseminating information. These tools and techniques include; press

releases, press conferences, media monitoring and research and advertising.

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UNDERSTANDING THE OBLIGATION OF MEDIA IN THE EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY INTEGRATION PROCESS By

Obar Mark; E-mail: obarrmark@gmail.com Cell: +254 728762356