No Watermark In Photos: Ruto's State House Changes From Uhuru's Term

President William Ruto is continuing to scrap some of the structures and routines that were so prevalent during the 10-year regime of former President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Many of the changes have focused on the communications segment of the House on the hill, which started with the absence of the State House logo watermark, a prominent feature in Uhuru's photos capturing him in events within and outside of the country.

It is almost a month since President Ruto was sworn in and no single photo shared by State House on its official social media pages has that watermark. Ruto on Friday, October 7 hosted the President of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), Alok Sharma.

President William Ruto with British High Commissioner to Kenya, Jane Marriott and the President of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), Alok Sharma /PPS

The president's press team shared photos of Sharma hosting Ruto alongside the British High Commissioner to Kenya, Jane Marriott and other dignitaries and none of them was watermarked.

It also appears that the identity of the presidential press team was changed after Uhuru handed over power to Ruto during the inauguration ceremony on Tuesday, September 13. Uhuru's media team went by the name Presidential Strategic Communication Unit (PSCU), but Ruto has dropped it.

Press releases shared by Ruto's media team now bear the name Presidential Press Service (PPS). The last Heads of States to have adopted the name include the late Mwai Kibaki and the late Daniel Arap Moi.

It is worth it to note that during his tenure as Deputy President, Ruto adopted the name DPPS (Deputy Presidential Press Services) for his media team and it seems that he has continued the tradition into the most powerful office in the land.

The next change evidently seen involves his media addresses and addresses to the nation where the lectern – the podium he speaks from – appeared different from Uhuru's. The new lectern is inverted V-Shape painted cream, compared to Uhuru's lectern whose design he heavily borrowed from former US President, Barack Obama, with a blue top supported by four metal bars.

It is not enough. The State House website, which was heavily relied on by media houses for all of Uhuru's press releases, Executive Orders, directives, intervention measures and other government details, was wiped clean by Ruto's team. 

Videos, photographs and digital content, details of key State House staff, development projects and an extension of former First Lady, Margaret Kenyatta's work, were done away with. All that information can now be found on the Presidential Library, Museum and Exhibition website.

This website forms part of historical items stored in remembrance of Kenya's heads of state. It stores information and content regarding all presidents starting from the country's first head of state, the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta. 

Other than the National Archives located in Nairobi Central, the website preserves and provides access to historical materials, supports research, and creates interactive programs and exhibits that educate and inspire readers. 

The official social media sites and websites release videos and information on different dates to celebrate historical events and milestones. For example, after Queen Elizabeth's death, the Presidential Library, Museum and Exhibition released photos of the late President Jomo Kenyatta receiving her in Kenya.

For instance, when Queen Elizabeth passed on, the Presidential Library, Museum and Exhibition released photos of the late President Jomo Kenyatta receiving her in Kenya. 

But the most important change in Ruto's communications channels is live-streaming the president at key functions through social media channels, mainly Facebook and Twitter, where Ruto has a massive following.

The live streams are offered through the State House channels and Ruto's social media channels, just like how he tailored social media during his campaign trails to reach out to as many supporters as possible.

The only slight difference is that while Ruto's media team used the WSR (William Samoei Ruto) as a watermark in all of its campaign videos, there is no single watermark in any of the videos on both his personal and State House accounts.

Ruto's communications team has implemented a yellow colour throughout the social media pages and the president.go.ke website in line with his official presidential standard (flag); yellow in colour with the shield and spears, and a wheelbarrow. The colour and wheelbarrow have been borrowed from his party, the United Democratic Alliance (UDA).

William Ruto's new Presidential Standard. /TWITTER

President Ruto has 5.4 million followers on Twitter, only behind Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El Sisi in terms of ranking across the African continent. He also has a huge presence on Facebook with 2.1 million followers.

Former President Kenyatta shut down all his social media accounts, especially Twitter, on March 22, 2019. He was one of the most followed African leaders with around 3.62 million followers.

What remains is who will take over from Kanze Dena as State House spokesperson, with former Citizen TV anchor Hussein Mohamed, touted as a strong favourite.

Dennis Itumbi, who played a key role in campaigning for Ruto on social media through his Hustler National Intelligence Bureau (HNIB) reports where he reportedly worked with over 500 influencers and bloggers to mastermind Ruto's victory could feature in the Presidential communications team.