Ruto announces 70 per cent artist royalties, unveils digital platform for music festival content
In a bid to make school performances more accessible, the President announced a digital platform on eCitizen for school drama and music festival content. Students and parents can now access performances instantly for less than Sh250, compared with the previous cost of Sh1,000.
President William Ruto has directed the Kenya Copyright Board to implement a digital royalties system on eCitizen and resolve a longstanding dispute with Collective Management Organisations, ensuring that 70 per cent of music royalties are paid directly to artists.
He made the announcement during the 97th Kenya Music Festival State Concert at Sagana Lodge in Nyeri. He said the government is committed to making the creative industry a key source of jobs and income.
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“Our creators are now monetising content online, and government agencies have been directed to advertise online to boost their earnings,” he noted.
"We are enforcing the 70 per cent royalty rule, modernising our laws to unlock grants, attract film productions, and protect intellectual property," he added.
He highlighted that over Sh100 million has already been collected through the Blank Tape Levy to directly benefit artists.
In a bid to make school performances more accessible, the President announced a digital platform on eCitizen for school drama and music festival content. Students and parents can now access performances instantly for less than Sh250, compared with the previous cost of Sh1,000.
President Ruto also emphasised efforts to integrate Kenyan creators into global monetisation platforms, including Meta, while reducing delays and expensive intermediaries.
He revealed plans to discuss integrating M-PESA into Facebook’s payment system and encouraging Google to allow ad purchases via M-PESA, a move aimed at supporting creatives, MSMEs, and content platforms like YouTube.
The President tied the growth of the creative sector to ongoing education reforms under the competence-based curriculum, which includes music, drama, and visual arts from early years through senior school.
Starting next year, arts and talent-driven careers will be recognised as a distinct pathway in senior schools.
"The Government of Kenya is steadily implementing the competence-based education framework, under which music, drama, and visual arts are part of the curriculum from early years to senior school. In fact, arts and talent-driven careers will be a distinct pathway in senior school beginning January 2026," said Ruto.
Ruto further outlined a Sh950 million programme being implemented by the Teacher Service Commission and the Ministry of Education to train professionals capable of identifying, nurturing, and guiding artistic talent from a young age.
"I remember when I was Minister of Education in 2009, we transitioned from the education system that we had at that time and mainstreamed technical training colleges and technical training education," he said.
“I am very proud that today, our professionals in the education sector, working with the Ministry of Education and the government, have created a clear pathway that points to the future of our education,” President Ruto said, underscoring the connection between education, talent development, and economic growth.
He stressed that these reforms are designed to align education with market demands and Kenya’s Vision 2030 goals.
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