Influencer Diplomacy: How popular Kenyan celebrities are at the centre of critical international PR campaigns

Over the last year, Kenyan influencers and leading celebrities have landed exclusive opportunities to tour varied nations in a bid to integrate, foster international harmony, explore the other side of the world and actively participate in cultural cross-pollination.

These tours have seen foreign embassies pinpoint several leading stars and then fly them in lands yonder, with the main purpose of sprinkling the flavour of their nations into the Kenyan soul and educating the world on the hidden wonders of their countries.

With cultural exchange becoming a hot topic all over the world, bolstered by social media and a rapidly changing ecosystem, these tours have proved massively beneficial to countries seeking to debunk myths, clear misconceptions, set several records straight and settle political scores in a heightened race to secure favour and dominate good reviews with millions on the internet.

However, like pawns in a chess play, these Kenyan influencers have become the easiest targets of nations seeking to better their image and improve their standings on the global stage, as they easily accept the offers, dutifully pick up the assignments and gleefully globetrot, in what is a helplessly innocuous chase of international thrill and influencer portfolio.

Back in September, the Chinese Embassy in Kenya flew four leading Kenyan influencers to represent the country in a cultural exchange trip to China as part of a delegation that would tour Hunan and Fujian provinces from September 15 to 23.

According to the embassy, the week-long visit was designed to showcase China’s "rich culture, breathtaking landscapes, and ongoing development projects."

The influencers were expected to document and share their experiences across their platforms, offering followers a first-hand glimpse into life in the two provinces.

The trip, according to the Chinese Embassy, was also meant to highlight the growing role of digital creators in international diplomacy and cultural exchange as well as "strengthen people-to-people ties while moving beyond traditional government-led programs."

This wasn't the first time the Chinese Embassy had partnered with Kenyan creatives for cultural programming - in fact, over recent years, Beijing has increasingly tapped into Africa’s fast-growing influencer scene to deepen cultural ties, particularly with younger audiences who engage more readily with social media storytelling.

Perhaps bouyed by the success of the China trip, Israel, whose image has taken a beating thanks to its sustained deadly attacks on Palestine, also took a leaf out of the Chinese playbook and planned their own trip of similar sorts, gathering a galaxy of leading religious influencers and radio powerhouses for a scripture-tinged trip down the biblical nation for an intensive familiarisation tour of the country, visiting Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, the Dead Sea and several other Israeli hotspots.

Collectively, the Kenyan participants command millions of followers on their various social media platforms, and the visit is intended to present more human dimensions of Israel beyond its political headlines and help repair the country’s global image, which suffered heavy blows in the past year.

The initiative is part of broader Israeli efforts to improve its perception among younger audiences and to revive tourism; Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar organised a similar trip for Colombian influencers back in October as part of a broader campaign to reshape Israel’s global image.

Since their arrival in Israel, images - and videos - of vacations, landscapes, gastronomy, biblical sites and entertainment stand in stark contrast to reports of bombings, forced displacements, missile attacks and innocent Palestinian victims.

In choosing Kenyan influencers, Israel, like China and other nations that may also be planning similar excursions, appears to have properly digested the sheer power of influencer-tourism in the Kenyan digital space, using these trips to showcase messaging aligned with their nations' policies while also leveraging the platforms of social media heavyweights.

Besides just tours, major internet Kenyan figures on Kenyan social media platforms, especially on X and YouTube, are now being heavily used by foreign actors to spread propaganda for far-flung or neighbouring nations, with a clear intent to drive a narrative, influence thought, provoke the masses and run PR campaigns on behalf of entities or government opponents.

Several Kenyan X bigwigs have, for instance, been actively involved in the political affairs of post-election Tanzania, with the most prominent ones steadfastly pushing campaigns aimed at rattling the Samia Suluhu administration and rallying the Tanzanian masses into action.

It is a cleverly-choreographed digital putsch which massively demonstrates the immense power of Kenyans online and their unassailable ability to influence opinion, shape thought, create a narrative and align messaging.

A keen observer might be able to note that this is not just a randomly misplaced X campaign - this is a well-oiled crusade with what is undoubtedly a heavy backing from anti-Samia Suluhu forces, driving the narrative by skillfully targeting the masses and discrediting the government rhetoric. 

Keen to counter the campaign to discredit Tanzania, it seems as though some influencers have been paid to push pro-Samia Suluhu messaging, attacking journalists and victims by trying to paint the president as being the real victim.

Nations run public relations (PR) campaigns to manage how they are perceived both by their own citizens and by the international community.

This strategic communication process helps to build trust, educate the public on policies, manage crises, and promote national interests and values.

Kenyan influencers, therefore, are increasingly stepping up to the front and aligning themselves with these masterfully-crafted PR campaigns on behalf of nations, either in exchange for cash or merely an opportunity to travel, tour the world, build powerful connections and secure future brand deals.

However, this isn’t unique to Kenya. Governments worldwide, including in France, the United Kingdom and Canada, have strategically used social-media influencers for public communication; They’ve deployed campaigns in areas such as health, election participation, climate action advocacy and tourism promotion. 

Critics of these cross-national influencer campaigns have nevertheless framed it as some kind of nefarious plot, claiming that it lacks substance, is easy to see through, lacks a centralised narrative and doesn't last beyond a mere three days.

Writing in the JNS, author Jamie Geller said: "Hiring multiple firms and onboarding various influencers without a unified message creates inconsistency. A country would benefit greatly from establishing a small department to craft cohesive digital messaging before distributing it.

She added; "Also, the implementation lacks nuance. Effective advocacy requires more than just broadcasting talking points: It demands engagement with critics, addressing concerns thoughtfully and building bridges to sceptical communities."