African Collective Management Organisations are warning that the dispute pitting the Kenya’s copyrights regulator against KAMP could deny rights holders revenue if it persists.
This comes after the Kenya Copyrights Board (KECOBO) issued new administrative action on the KAMP
Copyright and Related Rights Limited (KAMP) which was suspended on July 1, 2026 for a period of 90 days.
In a statement issued on August 24, KECOBO Chairman Joshua Kutuny said additional regulatory action against KAMP stems from its failure to addressed issued raised to the satisfaction of the board.
The fifteen African CMOs and rights management bodies now warn that the stalemate is likely to hurt the welfare of rights holders.
“We are also concerned that any prolonged disruption to KAMP’s ability to license and administer related rights could leave the recorded music sector without effective collective management, resulting in lost revenue for right holders, legal uncertainty for music users, and potentially discouraging future investment in Kenya’s creative economy, and the wider African music industry,” said the organisations.
During the suspension period, KECOBO appointed Performing and Audio Visual Rights Society of Kenya (PAVRISK) to collect royalties on rights represented by KAMP through e-Citizen.
KAMP had been suspended by what KECOBO termed as “serious and persistent breaches of the Copyright Act, the Copyright (Collective Management) Regulations, the conditions attached to its license and lawful directives issued by KECOBO in exercise of its supervisory mandate.”
KAMP appealed the decision before the Copyrights Tribunal which directed on August 17, that KECOBO either conclude the matter or issue further regulatory action within seven days.
KECOBO has since issued KAMP with fresh regulatory action among them, vacation of office for directors whose terms have ended, convene and conduct elections to constitute a board within 30 days and board to suspend chief executive officer and other officers implicated in suspected misappropriation and diversion of Ksh 5.5 million.
The African CMOs now urge the regulator to consider the critical role that KAMP plays in administering the rights of producers, performers and other rights holders in Kenya, especially in the performance rights sector.
“Any regulatory intervention should preserve, not disrupt, the licensing of rights, collection and distribution of royalties and the continued representation of rights holders. KAMP has expressly cautioned that suspension of its license risks disrupting licensing, royalty collection and administration of rights on behalf of the very right holders both KAMP and KECOBO are mandated to protect,” they added.
They further warned that the stalemate could place Kenya at risk of falling short of its international commitments relating to the protection, enforcement and collective administration of copyright and related rights.
