JAMILA'S MEMO: Ebola - handle with care

These are important questions. And so far we have officials, explaining the situation and the measures being taken. But tonight, I want to talk about something else that is just as important in managing a public-health emergency. Communication.

Because in a crisis, information is not a favour that government extends to its citizens. It is a public service. And sometimes, it can save lives.

Now, we must acknowledge something. This administration has, for a considerable part of its time in office, struggled with communication. We have seen different government offices give different explanations about the same issue.

We have heard officials contradict one another, sometimes within hours. We have watched major decisions emerge into the public domain when they were already well advanced, leaving Kenyans wondering when exactly they were supposed to have been consulted. Remember the controversy surrounding the proposed Adani airport deal?

For many Kenyans, the troubling question was not simply whether the deal was good or bad. It was how much they had to learn through leaked documents and public pressure rather than through clear, proactive communication from their own government.

And we have seen a familiar pattern develop. First, questions are dismissed. Then concerns are described as misinformation or political propaganda. Then more information emerges. And eventually, explanations arrive. By then, however, something has already been lost.

 Trust. And trust is a very difficult thing to rebuild.

You see, when government tells people something today and something different tomorrow, citizens begin to doubt not just the message, but the messenger. When information is routinely withheld until somebody demands it, people begin to suspect that every official statement contains only part of the story.

And when politicians make inflammatory statements, only to withdraw them after the damage is done, they contribute to a political culture in which words are treated as disposable.

Say it today. Deny it tomorrow. Apologise on Friday. Move on by Monday. Kwisha maneno. Except that the consequences do not always disappear with the apology.

And this brings me back to Ebola. A public-health emergency is not the time for contradictory statements or carefully managed political messaging. It is the time for clear, Consistent and Timely information.

Tell Kenyans what is known and what is not yet known. Tell them what is being investigated and what they need to do to protect themselves and their families. And when the facts change, explain why they have changed.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a government saying, "We do not have all the answers yet." In fact, there is something reassuring about that kind of honesty. What is dangerous is pretending to have all the answers when you don't.

Which is why I believe communication is about the character of an administration. Does it respect citizens enough to tell them the truth before they demand it?

Does it understand that transparency is a responsibility, not a concession? And does it recognise that the public has a right to know even when the information is uncomfortable, inconvenient or politically embarrassing?

So tonight, my appeal is simple. Speak with one clear, credible voice. And above all, tell Kenyans the truth, promptly and consistently. Because in a public-health emergency, ordinary Kenyans may not survive the consequences of poor communication.

And that… is my Memo.