Efficacy of Digital Diplomacy in Advancing the Economic and Cultural Pillars of Kenya’s Foreign Policy

Globally, digital diplomacy has increasingly emerged as a critical instrument through which states pursue strategic, political, economic, and cultural objectives within the contemporary international system. Social media has recently become a major part of digital diplomacy. Although the practice of digital diplomacy has existed for decades, the rapid advancement of information and communication technologies in the 21st Century has significantly transformed diplomatic engagement, attracting growing scholarly and policy attention. The Republic of Kenya, since 2014 has made substantial investments in digital diplomatic tools, platforms, and communication strategies aimed at advancing its foreign policy objectives. It is against this backdrop that this study sought to interrogate the efficacy of social media in advancing the economic and cultural pillars of Kenya’s Foreign Policy. The study was anchored on Soft Power theory, adopting a mixed research approach, incorporating both the qualitative and quantitative aspects. Primary data was collected through 17 in-depth interviews with purposely selected, pro-rated and sampled informants across the 14 directorates of the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, and 8 experts and scholars in international relations. The source of secondary data for this study was government speeches and reports, and other academic papers that refer to digital diplomacy. The study found that social media as an appropriate tool with 94%, 83% and 88% respectively acknowledging it use in foreign policy, greater transparency, and use in crisis communication. A minority, 30%, mentioned knowledge of the presence of social media SOPs. The challenges identified by the study and opportunity for recommendation include more training, capacity building, institutional support and coordination, and standardised protocols and operational frameworks.