President William Ruto has stated that his administration is working on legislation that will allow the construction of professional studios across the country to support artists.
Ruto stated during the Kenya Music Festival Winners’ State Concert at State House in Nakuru that he has formed a team led by Sports, Arts and Culture Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba to expedite the bill’s formation and presentation in parliament within the next two months.
He stated that the government has a deliberate plan to strengthen the arts and creative sector, and that the Permanent Presidential Music Commission has been renamed the Creative Commission of Kenya to reflect this ambition.
“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 artist 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.”
He also stated that he has been in discussions with the owners of top social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube in order to obtain permission to monetize content in 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 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.
Ruto also stated that he will meet with TikTok’s CEO on Thursday to discuss the moderation capabilities of explicit content shared on these platforms.
“Kenya is getting between Ksh.500 million and Ksh.800 million every month from these platforms and so we are increasing our revenue as a country from this space. We need to manage the negative effects and promote the positive.”
