Training helps Kenyan workers be heard in BRT planning

Workers from three unions in Nairobi have attended an ITF workshop on communication skills as they seek to influence government plans for bus rapid transit (BRT).

The Transport Workers’ Union (TAWU), the Matatu Workers’ Union (MWU) and the Public Transport Operators Union (PUTON) have been working together closely to make their demands for BRT heard, including a recent march through Nairobi.

The training covered communications skills that the unions had asked for training in:

• media release writing and publicising
• TV interview techniques
• strategic communications plans
• understanding the Kenyan media

The workshop included a presentation from Kenyan media consultant Emily Manjeru, and practical sessions run by the ITF communications team.

Joseph Ndiritu from PUTON participated in the training: “Thanks to this training I will make more contact with the media, and feel more confident to take the chances I get to do interviews. All in all, it’s given me better knowledge about how best to get our views heard.”

The ITF’s work with the BRT unions is partly-funded by the Swedish union SEKO and Union To Union. Jens Saverstam from SEKO observed the workshop: “It’s clear that the workers here are working well together and, gradually, the government is taking notice of their demands. It’s inspiring to see what they’re achieving.”

An ITF commissioned report has shown that the implementation of BRT will have a massive impact on people working in Nairobi’s informal public transport sector.