State Department of Broadcasting and Telecommunications Principal Secretary Sammy Itemere. [Photo/Maxwell Ngala].

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The Government has pledged to support the establishment of a statutory instrument to guide the practice of Public Relations (PR) in Kenya.The plan will involve the introduction of a Legislative Bill in the National Assembly as part of an effort to streamline professional PR practice in the public and private sectors.Speaking in Mombasa at the ongoing Public Relations Society of Kenya (PRSK) Annual Summit, State Department of Broadcasting and Telecommunications Principal Secretary Sammy Itemere said the introduction of a law governing PR practice will be undertaken to build capacity and instil professional ethics and discipline.Itemere said the government will collaborate with the PRSK in the journey that will also see the umbrella PR Society transformed to the Kenya Institute of Public Relations (KIPR) once the necessary legislative processes are concluded.“As a government, we consider that we will be beneficiaries because we have over 150 Public Communication Officers deployed in various corners of this country. It means we can count on PRSK under the Law that will be established in order to build capacity and instil professional ethics and discipline,” said Itemere.The Principal Secretary said the PRSK Summit under the theme: Communicating for Behaviour Change was held at the right time since the public and private sectors continue to grapple with challenges arising from transformational agendas.PRSK Chairperson Jane Gitau confirmed that preparatory work for the introduction of a draft Bill in parliament was underway.She said Public Relations practitioners in Kenya have already embraced professional practices including the adoption of a continuous professional development (CPD) programme.The society, she added, will also play a key role in guiding the rollout of globally benchmarked PR practices and ethical conduct.The Summit, which is being held at the Pride Inn Paradise Beach Resort, features PRSK members drawn from the public and private sectors and aims to provide informative and interactive sessions on the PR landscape in Kenya.The Summit will culminate in the Public Relations Society of Kenya (PRSK) Awards for Excellence ceremony at the same venue on Friday evening.The award recognises and celebrates the outstanding achievements of public relations and communications practitioners in the development, public and private sectors.PRSK, with more than 800 active members, was established in 1971 and serves as the professional body guiding the PR practice in Kenya. The Society broadly seeks to advance excellence in Public Relations and Communication Management and to ensure that the practice continues to thrive within the ethical framework defined by the profession.