Kenya’s President William Ruto has painted a picture of where his government dreams of taking the country’s creative economy that he says contributes a paltry five percent to the GDP.
Although he listed milestones since he became President three years ago, Ruto said the industry needed deliberate effort to be stirred up for firming up cultural identity and creating the much-needed jobs that give Kenya sleepless nights.
At the 97th Music Festival State Concert at the Sagana State Lodge on August 16, the President said the five percent GDP contribution and 0.25 percent of wage employment linked to the entertainment sector confirm Kenya was “only scratching the surface” while the performance could rise to 30 percent with the right investment.
Since he came into office in 2022, he said the government has crafted policies and initiatives to grow music and the arts with the goal of delivering employment, cultural promotion, fostering national cohesion, and lifting the overall economy.
The government, Ruto said, had negotiated with Facebook to include Kenya in the list of countries whose creations are monetised on the platform. “After determined negotiations…today, Kenya is among the selected few countries whose creators are paid for their original content on the platform. We fought hard and we won. And we are not stopping.”
He promised to ask Google next month in New York to enable Kenyans to buy adverts through M-Pesa, saying that would benefit creatives and micro and small enterprises selling online. The President said ministries had been directed to put more adverts online “to grow our digital economy, create jobs, and increase income for our creatives.”
Because Kenya hosted the inaugural US-Kenya Creative Economy Forum, “a milestone whose impact will be felt across the industry,” in September, in the US, Ruto plans to meet with the Recording Academy, the organisers of the Grammy Awards, to fast-track plans for establishing studios in Kenya.
The dream is to see Kenya hosting the African edition of the Grammys in Nairobi, he told the State concert of the festival whose theme was ‘Enhancing the Creative Economy Through Artistic Expression for Sustainable Development”. It was a good sign, Ruto said, that the Grammy team has expressed interest in having a presence at the Talanta Stadium.
Addressing his critics, the President promised to present “tangible” outcomes for the people, among them, crafting a direct link between the creatives and his office by setting up a coordination and advisory unit there.
In school, Ruto said, the government, through the Teachers Service Commission and the Ministry of Education, this financial year, will be undertaking a Sh950 million programme “to ensure we have the human resources to identify, nurture, and guide artistic talent from a young age.”
The President said, it was his conviction that schools and learners must begin to earn from their talent and creativity.
Saying that the government was rehabilitating cultural centres such as the Kenya National Theatre, Bomas of Kenya, and other regional hubs, the President asked the counties to also establish own creative industry hubs.
He asked the National Assembly and the Senate to fast-track the passage of Creative Economy Support Bill and the Culture Bill, 2024, saying the laws will unlock grants, provide credit guarantees, offer fiscal and tax incentives, and help creators to register their intellectual property.
Ruto said more cultural centres were in pipeline using funds from the housing levy.
