Influence of Covid-19 Crisis Communication on Public Perception of the Kenyan Government Communication Strategy: A Case of Kibra Sub-County Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

COVID-19 communication has drawn a sharp focus across the globe and elicited varied public
perceptions. This study sought to assess the influence of covid-19 crisis communication on
public perception of the Kenyan government communication strategy with a case of Kibra subcounty Nairobi, Kenya, from March 2020 to December 2020. The main objective was to assess
how the government's daily speeches influenced the public interpretation of the COVID-19
crisis. The rationale was based on assessing the public perception of the government’s
communication strategy. The findings of this study will be be helpful to communication
experts and will help in improving the existing crisis communication strategies. This was
limited to Lindi ward in Kibra sub-county. Source Credibility Theory (CT) and Situational
Crisis Communication Theory (CCT) were used for understanding perception. This study
adopted a survey design to collect quantitative data involving 123 household heads sampled
purposively in Lindi, Kibra through a modified Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication
(CERC) questionnaire. Averagely, 1% of the respondents disagreed with questions regarding
COVID-19 daily speeches, 8.5% indicated neutrality, and 90.5% agreed with the statements.
The study concluded that the public's perceptions of government communication strategy
regarding the COVID-19 crisis were favorable. The study recommends investigating the
impact of the centralization of the Kenyan government communication departments on crisis
communication.
Keywords: Crisis Communication, Public Perception, Communication Strategy