Three birds fight over who will build its nest on the branch of a tree. In a race between two tortoises, one uses a shortcut to reach the finish line. These are just two of the six animated “Wazi Campaign” Public Service Announcements (PSAs) currently airing across Kenyan television stations. Created by Buni and supported through the Kenya Civil Society Strengthening Program(KCSSP) funded by USAID and DFID, the campaign aims to inspire Kenyans to embrace peaceful elections and promote good governance.

“The idea for the campaign was born in 2006. The inspiration is the belief that change happens one person at a time. Each one of us is responsible for our own transformation, which in turn can transform the society we live in,” shares Project Director, Lara Mastropasqua. The PSAs, running between December 1st 2012 and August 2013, are in the form of cartoon characters and animals—an unusual method for a campaign that targets adults of voting age. Lara explains, “We wanted to make sure people would remember the message.” As the scenarios play out, a sagacious male narrator cautions against the negative behavior on display.

He is later on revealed to be a mzee (old man) who appears at the end of each PSA to reiterate the campaign’s slogan, “Kenya ni Jina, Nchi ni Wewe” (Kenya is just a name, you are the country). Lara reveals that, while PSAs don’t change the way people think overnight, she hopes that this one will stir up positive debates among Kenyans. “It's akin to planting a seed. It takes time for that seed to grow.” Catch the Wazi shorts on KBC, Kiss TV, Citizen, NTV, QTV and KTN as well as Fox theatres after the national anthem. Find it on Youtube, Facebook and Twitter as “The Wazi Campaign”.