Civil Society Leaders Equipped with Strategic Communication Skills to Boost Citizen Participation
The training, which brought together civil society actors from various counties, aimed at strengthening their capacity to promote citizen participation and inclusive governance.
Photo: Courtesy.
By Linda Olendo
Civil society leaders and consortium partners under the Strengthening Organizations for Democratic Participation (ELF) program have wrapped up the second day of an intensive workshop focused on enhancing strategic communication, advocacy and partnership building for accountable governance.
The training, which brought together civil society actors from various counties, aimed at strengthening their capacity to promote citizen participation and inclusive governance.
The second day opened with a Reflection and Learning Harvest session led by Ken Rutto. The session allowed participants to reflect on lessons from day one, share experiences from their counties, and set clear objectives for the day.
This was followed by a session on Strategic Planning for Collective Impact facilitated by Stephen Kimathi. During the session, participants identified shared county priorities, mapped their organizational strengths, and developed joint consortium work plans to drive collective impact.
Kimathi challenged participants to rethink leadership as a continuous journey.
“Leadership is a journey of becoming and how you stand as a leader. It is not about the position you hold, but about the values you demonstrate, the decisions you make and the impact you create in the lives of others,” he said.
In the next session, Andreas Otieno led participants through Strategic Communication, Advocacy and Public Engagement. He equipped them with practical skills in developing communication strategies, advocacy planning, storytelling, media engagement, digital communication and countering misinformation.
According to Otieno, effective communication goes beyond information sharing.
“Communication is not just about passing information; it is about building trust, shaping public perception and inspiring action. As civil society actors, we must tell authentic stories, engage responsibly and ensure that facts always prevail over misinformation,” he said.
He urged civil society organizations to leverage both traditional and digital media to amplify community voices and promote informed citizen engagement in governance.
In the afternoon, Stephen Kimathi returned to facilitate a session on Partnership Building, Sustainability and County Action Planning. Participants explored practical strategies for building strong partnerships, engaging government and non-state actors, and crafting county-specific action plans for implementation.
The workshop closed with a Commitments, Way Forward and Closing session co-facilitated by Kimathi and Rutto. Participants reviewed their commitments, outlined post-training expectations, and agreed on next steps for rolling out the action plans in their respective counties.
The two-day workshop has equipped civil society leaders with practical tools to enhance collaboration, improve advocacy, counter misinformation, and build sustainable partnerships to advance citizen-centred and accountable governance.
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