PHOTOS – Kenyan Musicians Hold Peaceful Demonstration in the CBD Over Royalties

On Tuesday, musicians from all over Kenya held a peaceful demonstration in Nairobi’s Central Business District over unfair share of Skiza royalties.
The musicians managed to drop a petition at the Office of the President, AG‘s office, Parliament and also Willy Mutungas office. The Skiza Petition seeks to call all parties to the table for talks with a view to settling the matter expeditiously.
Here’s the full Petition

Musicians have for long not received their rightful share of the Skiza royalties resulting in numerous complaints to the three CMO’s offices namely KAMP, PRISK and MCSK. It is to this effect that the three CMOs through their joint board of directors initiated talks with Safaricom to seek for lasting solution to artists’ woes.
Safaricom came up with a Memorandum of Understanding with the three CMO’s where the royalties of the artists on the Skiza platform would be channelled through the Collective Management Organizations and disbursed immediately. This initiative was greatly supported by all artists’ forums and groups which met the three CMOs and agreed to work together in making sure artists eliminated middle men in the Skiza deal.
The middlemen, that is, the Content Service Providers, have worked relentlessly against the artists by paralyzing activities that would lead to actualization of the Safaricom Skiza deal. Some include court battles, freezing MCSK accounts to name but a few.
The demonstrations are thus meant to sensitize and push for resolve towards the Safaricom Skiza deal as the reverse would mean an action against the benefit and welfare of all artists in Kenya.
We are asking the Government through the Attorney General to call all parties to the table for talks with a view to settling this matter expeditiously as artistes are suffering without the Skiza monies.
The question on our end should be, why are the these content service providers not contented with the share offered but are still fighting to receive the artists share? All parties are therefore called to action to spearhead implementation of the Safaricom Skiza deal.
Pesa kwa wasanii na sio pesa kwa PRSPs!!!!
Here are the photos courtesy of Picha Flani