President Uhuru Kenyatta has directed the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Heritage to avail an additional support of 100 million shillings from the Sports Fund to the Kenyan artists, actors and musicians, during the period of the COVID- 19 pandemic.
In his presidential address on enhanced measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic Monday, the president noted that even in the circumstances, the fight will not dampen the spirit of the Kenyan people.
“We will creatively deploy our talents in all fronts to conquer the current challenge even as we collectively fashion the destiny of our nation.” He said.
“As a Government, we will continue to take the necessary measures to cushion Kenyans against the impact of the current pandemic. In that regard, I am pleased to note that the interventions we had committed to undertake in my inaugural address to the nation in the beginning of the year 2020 are paying dividends. As a beginning of many firsts, our agenda to empower our youth and foster sustainable livelihoods is gaining momentum. Today, our local Artists have begun drawing higher royalties.” He added.
The president also announced that the Ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs, in collaboration with Kenya Copyright Board, Collective Management Organizations (CMOs) have established a framework to ensure full transparency for artist’s earnings.
“My Administration has projected that a total of Ksh.200m every month will be paid to musicians through the system and other platforms. This translates to over Ksh. 2 billion going into the pockets of Kenyan artists. These payments will begin this week in line with the pledge I made in January.” He assured.
