Inside politicians' social media pages, message boxes

Putting yourself in a politician’s shoes is inconceivable, but gaining access to his or her social media accounts brings you pretty close.

Requests for financial assistance, sale offers for dubious goods and photos of women in the nude are part of what floods a politician’s messaging channels on social media — as revealed to the Sunday Nation by three young men who have managed the accounts of several figures.

MASTER LANGUAGE

They asked us not to disclose the names of their clients lest they breach their agreements.

Account managers are expected to assume their bosses’ persona in whatever they engage in, a task they say is easier said than done.

One said he has almost mastered the language of his boss, because the way a person speaks should correspond with what is posted on social media.

On learning the nuances of their employers, another one was resigned, saying it is nearly impossible to master any politician’s language as they often change tune.

TECH-SAVVY

“Our politicians are inconsistent. Anyone who tells you that there is a politician in this country who has a specific language is lying,” he said.

They all agreed that it is impossible for a person with a schedule as busy as that of an aspiring or elected politician to run his own social media pages.

With more than 80 per cent of Kenya’s population accessing the internet, it behoves politicians to find ways to reach out to the tech-savvy segment that comprises mainly the youth.

As such, there is a growing need for people to regularly update the pages and respond to urgent matters.

Here are the experiences of some of these “ghost” social media users.

INNOCENT NGARE

Since May 2017, Mr Ngare, a communications strategy expert, has managed the accounts of five elected leaders.  Some have given him access to their Facebook and WhatsApp platforms.

“The first thing that strikes you is that Kenyans are looking for channels of open communication with their leaders. Those who send the messages include people looking for jobs and school fees and those generally seeking audience with their elected representatives," he said.

He reckons that the requests are as varied as they are plenty, and that some leave him with a feeling of helplessness “because you cannot do anything about them”.

RAUNCHY PHOTOS

Then there are women who pester male politicians with sexual advances, either by sending raunchy photos or through salacious texts.

“The audaciousness of Kenyan women," Mr Ngare said.

He said he understood the plight of Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o, who told a local daily that an unknown woman had been flooding his WhatsApp with pornographic material. Many male legislators have complained about this this year.

TOO COMBATIVE

As a rule, Mr Ngare said, such scandalous messages are ignored because "we are in the era of screenshots”.

“We laugh off some of those things and don’t bring them to the attention of the people we work for,” he told the Sunday Nation on Friday.

He added that two days earlier, he received a tongue-lashing for posting a message deemed too combative. “He personally called me to reprimand me,” he said, in reference to his boss.

DELFANT NYATAIGE

Mr Nyataige manages the social media pages of a Gusiiland politician, a task he terms a daily learning experience. It has taught him, for instance, to be careful about grammar.

“There is a time I wrote ‘his’ instead of ‘hers’ in a tribute. One of the local radio stations aired it as news so the pressure was on me. The talk was that my boss could not differentiate between 'his’ and ‘hers’,” he said.

Mr Nyataige has also learned how to pass messages like his employer would.

“What you write must be a reflection of his character and how he speaks. When you use words or language that doesn’t reflect his character, people will say in the comments, 'This is not him. This must have been written by somebody else'."

OPINION PAGES

The work arrangement does not allow Mr Nyataige to read messages sent to his boss.

His experience for the past few years is that Facebook, being the most popular in Kenya, is among the most taxing for a politician to run. “If he were to run it himself, I don’t think it would be easy. You need relevant pictures ... it's not just about writing ... and most of the time you need to reply to the comments, the concerns,” he said.

As some people know Mr Nyataige is associated with the politician, he has had to be careful about the opinions he airs on his personal accounts.

“The public believes that whatever you say is from the boss. So even if you write an opinion on your pages or blogs, people will not see it as independent opinion,” he said.

JUMA*

This ‘ghost’ user asked to conceal his identity so he could discuss the matter freely.

For nine months, Juma managed the social media accounts of a Nairobi-based political aspirant. He found it "weird" that many women sent the politician messages asking for money or making advances.

“I knew some of the women from media reports. Others were totally new to me but from their online activities, it was clear they were part of the city high life," the journalist said.

He observed, however, the irony in posts by these people as they gave the impression that they were living the good life.

SEXUAL FAVOURS

“Then there were offers from ladies wanting to travel with him. One said, ‘Next time you are going to Mombasa, give me a call and I will come with you," he said.

He quoted another woman as saying, "I saw that you are in Nakuru. Let me know where your hotel is if you want me to come."  Others promised sex for favour, saying they needed jobs and that they could "talk about it".

Still, another said, ‘I am setting up a business and need a boost. Can you help? I will make it worth your time."

RARE METALS

Juma said only women sent "tonnes of messages" and that "there were conmen who sold gold, land or rare metals".

"There were young men who ran WhatsApp or Facebook groups they wanted to leverage for cash,” he said.

He added: “There were genuine people with good ideas. There were volunteers and low-level security officer-types offering to take care of problems. A politician’s inbox has everyone. Heck, there was a pastor who wanted to be his spiritual father.”