Maoga Ondieki Andrew, Chelimo Andrew
The war against COVID-19 pandemic has gone global and attracted global attention for the good and welfare of humanity. Leadership of each Nation has been tested to the core by the virus ranging from the developed Nations to the developing and underdeveloped. The disease hereby referred to as Coronavirus (COVID-19), has caused not only deaths and despairs among populations but also destruction and shut down of major economies. Social cultural engagements have been curtailed across Nations, societies and communities. Politics have been reshaped and major political debates occupy online platforms. Other important life needs such as education have also secured online presence after schools were officially closed in Kenya. Education programs and services are now offered through mainstream media, online institutionalized platforms and the online cyber space forums. Entrepreneurship both macro and micro are conducting more business online than the most popular face to face interaction.
Hence, the media whether fourth or fifth estate is no longer a pleasurable want but a major need in day to day engagements of citizens in Kenya. Communication takes center stage in media interactions; whether, in educating, informing, entertaining or actively engaging the masses. Packaging of information or media content is fundamental to the encoder and decoder on particular meaningful messages. The first case of Corona virus in Kenya was registered in the month of March 2020, since then the Ministry of health has been active in disseminating information to Kenyans using different media platforms. Daily live media updates are the current norm and communication of details both phrasal and numbers have emerged from the Ministry of health daily briefs. This paper intends to analyse the impact and influence of these communication to the public in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic in Kenya within the month of July 2020 (1st to 12th July 2020); taking cognizance that most restrictions were lifted by the government of Kenya on Monday 6th July 2020. The researcher used: observation, thematic and content analysis, categorization and statistical tables and graphs to: collect, analyse and present the data in the study. The study reveals the dynamics, emotions and regularity of communication of details as adopted by the ministry of health to the citizens of Kenya yielding a combination of negative and positive social cultural results of societal change. The paper argues that results and approaches provided will guide and aid task forces in the fight against COVID-19, hence an important approach to communication in time of such pandemics.
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