HISTORY OF PUBLIC RELATIONS IN KENYA

 

OVERVIEW OF PR IN KENYA

The Public Relations Profession in Kenya has grown leaps and bounds in Kenya and globally a factor that is evidenced by the increased number of job opportunities, consultancies and academic institutions offering PR as a course.

Kenya has close to 40 registered PR firms that operate at different levels of capacity and offer a diverse range of services to clients within Kenya and the East African Region. Furthermore, there are a host of individual consultants who also provide PR services to organizations.

Over the years, the Public and Private Sector organizations have embraced the use of PR as a strategic tool in reaching out to their audiences. A case in point is the registration by PRSK of all Government Ministry Public Relations Officers and the continued creation of PR dockets within parastals and other private organizations.The Public Relations Society of Kenya (PRSK) was established in 1971 when the founders of the Society felt the need to establish the professional body to guide and bring together PR practitioners in Kenya.

In respect to academic institutions, a host of universities and mid – level colleges offer tailored PR courses that seek to develop well rounded practitioners whose theoretical knowledge is applicable to the current trends and best practice principles.

With the PR profession continuously growing, we shall keep you abreast of the latest development, best practice tips and industry related matters.

History

Main article: History of public relations

According to Edward Bernays, public relations is "practically as old as society." Some books and universities identify a Babylonian tablet from 1800 BC as the first example of public relations. They also associate audience segmentation tactics used in gospels, political promotions in Rome and logos used by ancient craftsman as being early examples of public relations. According to Scott Cutlip, there is disagreement over whether these ancient events constitute public relations or are part of its history.
Most textbooks on public relations consider the antecedents to the field to have originated during the settlement of the New World. Exaggerated promotions were used to attract settlers and the first fund-raising pamphlet, New England Fresh Fruits, was used to raise funding for Harvard. Pamphlets, media outreach and slogans were also used to spread anti-British sentiment.
Public relations as a paid profession began in 1900, when the first public relations agency, The Publicity Bureau, was founded. Ivy Lee and Edward Bernays, who are both referred to as the father of public relations, helped establish the field as a professional practice in the United States. Basil Clarke is considered the profession's founder in the UK and Arthur W. Page is considered the father of corporate public relations.
The field became more established after World War II, in part due to talent from war-time publicity efforts moving into the private sector. Trade associations, industry publications and academic journals were developed. Some of today's largest PR agencies were founded in the 1950s and began competing globally in Europe and Asia in the beginning in the '60s and '70s.
The 1990s were marked by "explosive growth" for the public relations field. Internet technologies and social media changes public relations tactics, agencies consolidated and new specialties were introduced such as investor relations and community relations. The field established a degree of professionalism, though to what extent is debated.