President William Ruto has disclosed that his government is working on a bill that will allow Kenyan creatives to monetize their talents.
Addressing the audience at the State House Nakuru during the Kenya Music Festival Winners’ State Concert, Ruto announced the establishment of a team headed by Sports, Arts, and Culture Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba. He said he had directed the team to formulate the Bill and have it presented to parliament in the next two months.
Ruto mentioned that this initiative is a collaborative effort involving both the Ministries of Education as well as Youth, Arts, and Sports.
“I have given CS Ababu Namwamba and team two months to have the bill find its way to parliament so that we monetise these great talents,” Ruto said.
President Ruto also announced that his administration has a deliberate plan to enhance the arts and creative industry. Notably, they plan to rename the Permanent Presidential Music Commission (PPMC) into the Creative Commission of Kenya(CCoK), a move aimed at ensuring that talents are monetized across the country.
Dr Ruto said the Creative Commission will take a different approach from the previous practice of solely establishing professional studios in Nairobi, as was the case with the PPMC.
“We are already working on a creative bill that is going to make sure that the creative commission will not only have professional studios in Nairobi but in every county in Kenya,” he said.
“We are working with county governments so that we can give opportunity to every artiste whether they are in primary or secondary school to explore the opportunities that are there for them to be able to professionalize the art they are gifted with.”
Ruto also mentioned that he has been engaged in dialogues with the proprietors of prominent social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube. The aim of these discussions is to secure approval for the monetization of content within Kenya.
“At 80 percent monetization, we are one of the four countries on the African continent that can monetize content on YouTube. That is why I have said KICD(Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development) should have a YouTube channel and we need to be able to sell the content of our children to parents who want to watch this beautiful display of talent,” he said.
