CS Namwamba promises better royalties for artistes

Kenyan artistes will now earn more from their royalties after suffering for a long time, Ababu Namwamba, the newly appointed Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Sports and The Art, said on Friday after officially taking over the docket from Amina Mohamed.

He said his Ministry will use the Copyright Amendment Bill 2021 to improve artistes’ welfare.

Royalties have been a lifeline for most artistes, but earn very little from the millions of shillings generated from their work, Namwamba said at a press conference.

He added that he will meet the Kenyan Copyright Board and Collective Management Organizations (CMO) to ensure more money reaches artistes whose music is played by broadcasters.

“I want to know why artistes in America, South Africa, DRC, Tanzania, Nigeria, among other countries are earning enough from their work through TV, radio and [the] internet, while in Kenya they are being exploited,” the CS said.

Kenyan artistes have been complaining of skewed earnings from their works, urging organisations such as the Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK), Performers Rights Society of Kenya (PRISK) and Kenya Association of Music Producers (KAMP) to ensure they earn fairly from their works.

CS Namwamba also promised to improve royalty policies, cutting off middlemen who have exploited artistes for long. He also promised to support the youth and restore sanity in sports from the grassroots.

“We have short-term and long term plans for our youth as we look forward to integrate with them. Our youth feel disconnected and that is why most of them did not vote during the 2022 general election. We are very much ready to support them achieve their goals in life,” he said.

Ms Mohamed, the outgoing CS, thanked retired President Uhuru Kenyatta for giving appointing her minister and also said she was grateful to all stakeholders for supporting her in the docket, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic that heavily affected activities in the ministry.

“When we took over, most things were just on paper. Stranded teams was a normal thing, [even] cases of blocked roads by protesting sportsmen and women. It was a rough journey, but I was lucky to have a team that enabled me to perform.”