Former Standard Group Chief of Staff Laban-Cliff Onserio has been fronted for the position of government spokesperson by former colleagues and various institutions.
Onserio, who also served as a Business Editor at NTV, is currently the Regional Director for the Chief of Staff Association, a lobby group for chief of staff on the continent.
The position fell vacant following the exit of retired Colonel Cyrus Oguna who served as President Uhuru Kenyatta's administration mouthpiece.
Onserio's candidature has attracted support from colleagues including former NTV anchor Mark Masai and the United States International University (USIU) alumni association.
The expression of interest follows the announcement by ICT Ministry Secretary Eliud Owalo indicating the government was hunting for its official mouthpiece.
Owalo's announcement was backed by United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Secretary General Cleophas Malala.
"We have been having a gap with the government communicating with what is being done There are a lot of positive things that have been done in the society but the information has been missing," Malala stated.
The government has been faulted over disjointed and uncoordinated communication, case in point Wednesday's differing statements from Owalo and his Interior colleague Kithure Kindiki regarding Worldcoin.
Who is Onserio
Onserio served as the Deputy Communications Director at the Executive Office of the President from 2018 to 2021.
He has also worked at CNBC Africa as Business Reporter. He was a business anchor at Nation Media Group for five years before he left to work as a Deputy Director of Communication in the Presidential Delivery Unit.
Onserio holds a Global Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the United States International University.
He also holds a Business Administration and Marketing degree from Strathmore University and a Reuters Fellowship programme from Oxford University.
What Does the Govt Spokesperson Do?
The main function of a government spokesperson is to communicate government policies and programmes to the public through various media platforms.
The holder of the office also advises the government on its media strategies.
"He or she will represent the government at press conferences, media interviews, and other public events and monitor news coverage and track public perceptions of Government policies and initiatives," read a job advert placed by the Ministry on May 19.
Some of the qualifications for the holder include; fluency in both spoken and written Swahili and English and at least 10 years of experience as a communication and media practitioner.
The office attracts a monthly salary of Ksh970,000 inclusive of allowances.
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