Elephant on the Kenyan savanna at dusk
National PR & Public Awareness Campaign

When conflict happens,
you are not alone.

Elewa Hatua is the national communication platform for the Human-Wildlife Conflict Management System: five steps every Kenyan can recall under stress, count on one hand, and act on.

The Five StepsThe Challenge
47Counties
14Priority hotspots
11+Vernaculars
3Year mandate
Delivered withRepublic of Kenya and Kenya Wildlife ServiceMinet
The Communication Challenge

Every citizen asks
one question

Technology deployment alone cannot deliver public value. When a farmer in Taita Taveta finds their crops flattened, or a pastoralist in Laikipia loses livestock, they do not ask whether the software architecture is stable.

Predator in the Maasai Mara, where human and wildlife territory overlap

What do I do next?

The question behind every incident
Left unmanaged, three risks compound
01

Public suspicion

A database does not heal a community's trauma or restore a ruined harvest. The gap between a technical system and lived reality breeds mistrust.

02

Claim fraud

Expectations of automatic payouts open the door to fraudulent claims agents who target households at their most vulnerable.

03

Retaliatory killing

Without a trusted, visible path to report and follow up, frustration turns into dangerous and illegal retaliation against wildlife.

The Campaign Platform

Five steps, counted on one hand

Elewa Hatua translates a complex, multi-stage administrative journey into five sequential actions a citizen can recall under stress. Each step carries its own directive, icon and asset kit.

Smallholder farmland on the wildlife frontier01

Zuia

Prevent

Zuia hatari mapema.

Practical, locally relevant crop and livestock barrier methods, reinforced by KWS seasonal field alerts that reach households before the risk peaks.

Visual icon

A reinforced homestead fence paired with an early-warning bell

Assets deployed
  • Njia Moja anthem film cut-downs
  • Jirani Pori radio drama episodes
  • Local language voice notes
A secured rural homestead02

Jilinde

Stay Safe

Maisha kwanza, jilinde.

Human life above all else. Move to safety immediately, never confront or provoke wildlife, and treat property as recoverable where life is not.

Visual icon

A simplified silhouette of a person safely entering a secure house

Assets deployed
  • Reflective visibility herding vests
  • Youth digital safety content
  • School safety cards
A basic feature phone keypad03

Ripoti

Report

Ripoti mapema kwa njia rasmi.

Report every incident immediately through approved channels only: USSD shortcodes, your Chief, or a KWS Warden. Reporting is free, and it always will be.

Visual icon

A basic feature phone displaying an active USSD menu prompt

Assets deployed
  • Pocket-sized reporting guides
  • Household fridge magnets
  • Local station DJ mentions
Field verification records being completed04

Fuatilia

Follow Up

Fuatilia dai lako rasmi.

Preserve scene evidence safely, cooperate with KWS field verifiers, track case status officially, and report every bribe request. A process, not a payout promise.

Visual icon

A structured, linear path marked by clear verification checkpoints

Assets deployed
  • Hatua kwa Dakika animated explainers
  • Frontline FAQ scripts for verifiers
  • Myth versus fact sheets
An elephant at sunset on shared land05

Tuishi Pamoja

Live Together

Tuishi pamoja kwa amani.

Reject illegal or dangerous retaliatory action, share verified community facts, and champion national wildlife heritage as a shared inheritance.

Visual icon

A human footprint and a wildlife footprint walking one path

Assets deployed
  • Permanent village camp murals
  • Youth community challenges
  • Annual public impact reporting
Behavioural Framework

Seven barriers,
one behavioural journey

Trauma sensitivity, language diversity, misinformation and conservation tension all resolve into the same four-stage path, from first contact to confident civic action.

01

Awareness

Make HWCMS and the five steps universally visible and recognisable in hotspot areas.

There is an official government system for this, and I know the steps exist.

02

Understanding

Deconstruct reporting codes, verification requirements and the tracking path.

I understand how to report, what evidence is needed, and how the process works.

03

Trust

Demonstrate process fairness, debunk myths, and reinforce state presence on the ground.

The process is fair and transparent. I know where to get verified information.

04

Action

Prompt proactive prevention and safety compliance as a shared responsibility.

Preventing conflict and protecting our wildlife keeps my family safe.

Audience Architecture

One platform,
four conversations

The campaign speaks with a single national voice, segmented so every stakeholder receives the channel, tone and level of technical detail that fits their role in the HWCMS ecosystem.

A Samburu woman and a young elephant sharing ground in Samburu County
01

Affected Communities

Farmers, pastoralists, fisherfolk, rural households

Barrier

Fear, economic stress, low literacy, exposure to fraudulent claims agents.

Message focus

The five steps. Reporting is free, and it begins a verification process rather than a payout.

Primary channels

Vernacular radio, barazas, market activations, USSD quick-cards

Local leaders in a village setting
02

Field Facilitators

Chiefs, assistant chiefs, village elders, KWS wardens

Barrier

High workloads, frustrated claimants daily, few current technical answers.

Message focus

You are the community's validated guide. Here is your operational toolkit.

Primary channels

Training of trainers, leader toolkits, WhatsApp leader groups

A regional radio studio
03

Narrative Shapers

Local journalists, editors, youth creators, schools

Barrier

Incident-driven coverage and reliance on unverified rumour.

Message focus

Accurate facts are readily available. Respect victims, and teach families the steps.

Primary channels

Media Hatua Labs, press kits, rapid-response desk, wildlife clubs

An institutional stakeholder forum
04

Institutional Anchors

County governments, CWCCCs, conservation NGOs

Barrier

Disconnected local messaging and uneven HWCMS technical awareness.

Message focus

Your role inside a fair, transparent process under national protocol.

Primary channels

Stakeholder forums, county launches, progress dashboards

Media Approach

Concentrated bursts,
timed to real risk

Human-wildlife conflict is seasonal, so the budget is not spread thinly across twelve months. Mass media deploys in high-weight bursts timed to planting, harvest and dry season competition for water and pasture.

Burst 1Month 4 to 5

Movement launch. Mass exposure of the five steps and official codes.

Burst 2Month 6 to 7

Understanding. Reporting mechanics, evidence rules, verification.

Burst 3Month 9 to 10

Trust and safety. Prevention, myth-busting, fraud alerts.

Always onAll 12 months

Call-in segments, FAQ management, 24/7 rapid response.

01

Vernacular & Community Radio

The primary engine for local understanding and the most trusted regional voice.

Jirani Pori radio serial, weekly 30-minute call-ins with KWS wardens, localised spots

02

National Television

Establishes national legitimacy and visible government ownership of the system.

Njia Moja anthem film, step-specific cut-downs, sponsored prime-time explainers

03

National Radio

Builds country-wide frequency for the platform and the official reporting codes.

Live studio reads, talk-show participation by senior state spokespeople

04

Ground & Barazas

Face-to-face dialogue inside existing local administrative structures.

Standardised 90-minute baraza model, market activations, live tech demos

05

Outdoor & Transit

Continuous behavioural reminders at points of trade, transit and congregation.

Market-centre billboards, matatu branding, painted murals at chiefs' camps

06

Digital, Social & SMS

The always-on layer that counters rumour and equips intermediaries with facts.

WhatsApp voice notes, short-form creator explainers, automated text alerts

Three-Year Roadmap

From national launch
to community ownership

A proof-led sequence. Research, transcreation, back-translation and field pre-testing complete before a single public asset is released, followed by a deliberate handover of the platform itself.

Year 1Oct 2026 to Sep 2027

Visibility & Acceptability

Elewa Hatua

Launch the national platform and anchor state ownership across the 14 priority counties.

  • Independent baseline KAP survey
  • Controlled glossaries for 11+ vernaculars
  • Njia Moja anthem film and first 13 Jirani Pori episodes
  • Central launch plus 14 simultaneous county echoes
Year 2Oct 2027 to Sep 2028

Usability

Fuata Hatua

Deepen education on evidence collection and verification, correcting Year 1 adoption gaps.

  • Jirani Pori season two on verification loops
  • Vernacular spots tracking claimant fraud schemes
  • USSD quick-cards at weekly livestock auctions
  • Midline KAP survey and fieldwork analysis
Year 3Oct 2028 to Sep 2029

Performance & Legacy

Hatua kwa Hatua

Shift from instruction to community-led victory stories, then hand the platform over.

  • Co-developed community success narratives
  • Barazas converted to participatory townhalls
  • Job shadowing with state media officers
  • Full handover of masters, repositories and playbooks
Proven Capacity

Ten landmark African
conservation mandates

Sohubox Strategies has unified fragmented audiences, embedded technology inside social trust, and managed high-stakes crisis communications for the institutions defining conservation on this continent.

7.1

WWF International

Global Earth Hour Mobilisation

Synchronised more than 35 country-based communication specialists into a single pan-African voice, producing record public participation.

7.2

TRAFFIC

East Africa Trade Sensitisation

Controlled vernacular glossaries that eliminated meaning drift and raised the quality of actionable public tip-offs across border communities.

7.4

Conservation International

Greater Mara Coexistence Initiative

A verified, measurable drop in retaliatory predator poisonings while preserving the community's primary livestock assets.

7.7

African Wildlife Foundation

Crisis Communications Protocol

A two-hour clear-to-air window for pre-approved factual holding lines during a high-profile park security incident.

Institutional track record
WWFAfrican Development BankAfrican UnionWorld BankAGRAGates FoundationRockefeller Foundation
Team & Governance

Four tiers, one
accountable chain

A structure that bridges institutional PR and grassroots mobilisation, held together by a Monday tactical sync and a bi-weekly county intelligence loop across all fourteen priority counties.

Tier 12

Strategic Leadership & Sovereign Accountability

Campaign Director, Deputy Campaign & Governance Lead

Single point of contact for the SDW Steering Committee, owner of the six-gate content approval workflow, and guarantor of Data Protection Act compliance on claimant privacy.

Tier 23

PR & Narrative Shaping

PR & Media Relations Lead, Rapid-Response Duty Desk

Runs the Media Hatua Labs and the online media centre, with a rotational desk holding 24/7 social listening and a two-hour clear-to-air window on critical incidents.

Tier 33

Creative, Digital & Language

Creative Director, Kiswahili Copy Chief, Digital Strategy Lead

Owns the anthem film, the Hatua Tano hand mnemonic, the independent back-translation loop across 11+ indigenous languages, and the 26-episode Jirani Pori scripts.

Tier 416

Field Action & Evaluation

BTL Activations Manager, County Coordinators, MEL Specialist

Fourteen coordinators embedded in priority counties working face to face with County Commissioners, KWS wardens and chiefs, feeding verified field data back to the centre.

Evaluation Framework

Auditable targets,
not vanity metrics

Every indicator carries a named verification method: post-buy media audits, geofenced field photographs, signed chief confirmation letters and annual representative KAP surveys. These are Year 3 targets.

≥70%

Prompted reach

Adult populations within target landscapes, verified by independent post-buy spot audits.

≥65%

Platform awareness

Household awareness of Elewa Hatua across priority high-incidence counties.

≥60%

Channel recall

Citizens who can name a correct official reporting channel under scenario testing.

≥55%

Expectation realism

Claimants who understand reporting starts verification, not an automatic payment.

≥40%

Women participation

Active participation by women across all localised baraza forums.

Wildlife and community sharing the Kenyan landscape
Tuishi Pamoja. Tujue Hatua.

Let us live together.
Let us know the steps.

Sohubox Strategies is ready to partner with the State Department for Wildlife to turn human-wildlife conflict management from a source of anxiety into a shared journey of understanding and safe coexistence.

Submitted by

David Maingi

CEO & Principal Partner

Delta Riverside, Block 2, 3rd Floor
Nairobi, Kenya

sohubox.com