Newly Appointed National Executive Secretary for Communications in Kenya Championing Family-Centred Journalism

Nairobi, 04 June, 2025 / 4:50 PM

A journalism practice that prioritizes messages that foster the institution of the family can go a long way in safeguarding the society’s basic unit, enriching members with values that bring them joy and fulfilment, the newly appointed National Executive Secretary for the Commission for Social Communications of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) has said.

In an interview with ACI Africa on the sidelines of the World Communications Day 2025 (WCD), which the Catholic media network in the Archdiocese of Nairobi (ADN) organized on Sunday, June 1, Fr. Gerald Omunyin said he looks towards engaging the digital media in “bigger and better” efforts in his new role.

“It is paramount to communicate themes that pertain to families, encouraging them to foster communication, return to the ideals and values of family life such as peace, faith, truthfulness, harmony, and, above all, fairness,” Fr. Gerald said.

To promote the highlighted family themes, the Kenyan member of the Contemplative Evangelizers of the Heart of Christ (CECC) told ACI Africa, Catholic media practitioners can seek to incorporate the “the key elements and values that engender the family unit, starting from the children.”

The children can “memorize” the themes that foster the family institution as they grow up,” he said, adding that parents and youths also need to be targeted with specific messages that help safeguard the family unit.

Fr. Gerald urged parents and guardians to foster discipline in their respective families and cautioned against allowing the digital engagement to replace interpersonal interactions among family members.

“I would encourage family discipline, because we cannot do away with these gadgets of communication,” he said, and emphasized, “Parents should enforce family discipline, especially when they are together at table; they put aside the communication gadgets so that they can communicate together.”

On his appointment to the Conference of Kenya’s Catholic Bishops, which the Chairman of the Social Communications Commission of KCCB, Bishop Wallace Ng’ang’a Gachihi, announced during the 2025 WCD event at St. Patrick’s Thika Catholic Parish of ADN, Fr. Gerald expressed gratitude, pledging to leverage on digital platforms to strengthen Church communication.

“I thank God because of the appointment I've been given of the National Executive Secretary for the Commission for Social Communication,” he said.

The Kenyan CECC member, who previously served as the pioneer Director of Radio Maria Nairobi recognized the “dynamic” and pervasive nature of digitality, as well as its influence in the lives of the people of God.

Referring to the digital culture in the Kenyan Church, he said, “We are going to put more effort to make it bigger and better, of course, embracing the digital platforms, modern communication tools, and applications, which are now trending.”

Engaging modern communication tools, he warned, should not erode “our identity as Catholics.”

Fr. Gerald pledged to foster a spirit of cooperation with Diocesan communication Coordinators and Catholic Media entities in Kenya in his new role at KCCB in view of making “the national office and Catholic media houses successful.”

Announcing the appointment of Fr. Gerald to the KCCB Commission for Social Communication, Bishop Wallace, who is the Local Ordinary of the Military Ordinariate in Kenya thanked Sr. Adelaide Felicitas Ndilu, Fr. Gerald’s immediate predecessor, for “the work she has done at the Commission” for the five years she served in an acting capacity.

Sr. Ndilu, a member of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) is to continue in her role as Director of the Nairobi-based Waumini Radio of the KCCB.

The Kenyan Catholic Nun, who is a board member of the African region of the World Catholic Association for Communication, SIGNIS Africa, is also one African Consultors of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication that the late Pope Francis reconstituted in July 2015.