President William Ruto has said he has asked the “National Assembly, through the Majority Leader, to fast-track the Creative Economy Bill 2026 alongside critical copyright” in a bid to protect artistes.
The President issued the statement after meeting with Gengetone and Urbantone artistes who shared their grievances.
Among the issues raised was the continued exploitation of their talent without fair pay.
“I met Gengetone and Urbantone artistes, who shared deeply troubling experiences regarding the loss of rights to their music due to questionable contracts with foreign entities,” President Ruto said. “It is regrettable that our young creatives continue to face exploitation despite their immense talent and contribution to our cultural identity.”
The President said that among the artistes facing this issue was rapper Exray.
“They have lost over 700 songs, including ‘Sipangwingwi’, the song by Exray that powered our conversations in 2022,” President Ruto continued.
Adding that he would facilitate legal support to ensure they were compensated fairly.
“I have facilitated legal support to ensure they are adequately represented in court, and we have agreed on practical measures to safeguard their interests and ensure they receive fair reward for their work.”
During the 2021 campaign period, the Kenya Kwanza government promised to grow and boost the creative economy by ensuring that policies and infrastructure were in place to help local creatives thrive. The Creative Economy Bill is expected to cover some of these promises.
“I have also asked the National Assembly, through the Majority Leader, to fast-track the Creative Economy Bill 2026 alongside critical copyright reforms,” he continued. “These measures are necessary to protect our artistes, strengthen intellectual property rights, and secure the future of Kenya’s creative economy.”
In conclusion, the President also said that they had established a mechanism for royalty collection on e-citizen.
“I also informed them that the Government has established a digital portal on e-Citizen to aid royalty collection and distribution.”
