Role of Social Media in Influencing Kenya’s Foreign Policy Behavior: A Case Study of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2010-2019)

Foreign policies of different countries are prone to change if there is a change in their national security or if there are factors that tend to affect their stability as a country. A key factor affecting foreign policy in the modern era is the revolution of media. The media influences public opinion thus influencing foreign policy. Media has changed the approach used by people to exchange information and communicate, thus transforming the social, economic, and political landscapes across the world. The main objective of the study was to analyze the role of social media in influencing Kenya’s foreign policy behavior: a case study of the ministry of foreign affairs (2010-2019). This study was anchored on two theories; agenda-setting theory and liberalism theory. The study adopted a case study approach targeting all of the 37 departments in the four directorates of the ministry of foreign affairs and international trade and two news anchors each from the 3 TV stations. Purposive sampling was adopted to reach the target population of the study. Two interview guides were used to collect primary data. The qualitative data collected was analyzed based on conceptual content analysis. The study was presented in narration form. The majority of the respondents, 47% indicated that Twitter was the commonly used platform used to share information on foreign policy making in Kenya. This was followed by Facebook at 35%, WhatsApp at 10%, and other platforms such as LinkedIn, Instagram, and Youtube at 8%. it was established that public opinion on social media does have a mixed influence on foreign policy making. The findings from the study indicated that agenda setting on social media has a significant influence on foreign policy making. In addition, the findings also revealed that through social media accountability and transparency by the ministry of foreign affairs has increased. The study recommends that proper awareness should be raised on the right of Kenyan citizens to participate in foreign policy by conducting campaigns in all parts of Kenya educating citizens on their constitutional rights. The study suggests research be undertaken on the role of other forms of media such as television stations and radio (mass media) in foreign policy making. This study will be significant to media users and media organizations, policy makers, and scholars about how the media and in particular social media influences the foreign policy behavior of Kenya.