Presidential Crisis Communication on Climate Change: A Comparative Study of Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto

Abstract

In Kenya, where rising temperatures, erratic weather patterns, and catastrophic occurrences like droughts and floods endanger food security and economic stability, climate change poses a serious leadership challenge. Using qualitative research design, this study analyses the content of four speeches given by Kenya's two most recent presidents, William Ruto (2022 to present) and Uhuru Kenyatta (2013 to 2022). Two of the speeches were delivered at local functions and two at international climate change forums. The study looks at the public messaging, international diplomacy, policy actions, and popular reception of the two presidents in their efforts to combat climate change. The study is anchored in a multi- disciplinary theoretical framework which includes Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT), Speech Act Theory and Postcolonial Theory. SCCT steers the evaluation of how the executives’ communication strategies handled reputational risks and crisis narratives associated with climate change. Speech Act Theory guides the analysis of the performative language employed in the speeches of the two presidents, evaluating the statements in terms of promises, cautions or instructions / directives. From its critical foundations, Postcolonial Theory offers a critical viewpoint on how historical inequalities and global power imbalances influence Kenya's climate change rhetoric. Postcolonial Theory provides a critical lens through which the influence of historical injustices, global power dynamics, and the positioning of Kenya and Africa within international climate discourse is interrogated. The study findings will advance knowledge on how national leaders in the global south can use governance and communication as a tool to address climate change problems.