Assessment of Public Relations Practitioners’ Perception on Their Own Professional Practice in Kenya

Abstract

Public Relations, considered a relatively new and emerging discipline in especially most developing nations dates back to human civilization. Its dramatic change since it emerged as a distinct discipline and viable profession in the second half of the 19^th Century has made it grow in size, scope and significance. In Kenya, similarly, the evolution of Public Relations dates back to the Country’s Communities cultural practices and traditions since the advent of human civilization even though the communities practiced it unconsciously using traditional methods. However, despite the practice’s transformation, most Public Relations practitioners are still unable to exhibit their full potential due to uncertainties of what is expected of them, the myths, misconception and perceptions surrounding the profession or a complete absence of a comprehensive knowledge of their profession due to the unavailability and undocumented relevant literature in the Kenyan context. Even though the study found out that the practitioners’ perception towards their practice was quite good, there were concerns over the status of their role in the organizations they served. This resulted into the mixed perceptions about the profession not only by the general public, but even amongst the practitioners themselves, which is why this study sought to assess the practitioner’s perceptions towards their own profession. For this to be achieved, data was collected through semi-structured questionnaires administered to 150 registered members of Kenya’s Public Relations Society (PRSK). The PR practitioners were sampled using stratified random sampling technique on the calculated proportion of both sexes.

Key words: Public Relations, Practitioners, Evolution, Perception, Ethical Issues