Umma Bashir, the Principal Secretary for Arts, Culture, and Heritage, has revealed that several obstacles plaguing the Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO) have led to creatives going without pay.
Speaking when she appeared before the National Assembly Committee on Sports and Culture on Saturday, Bashir stated that underfunding by the National Treasury and a raft of court cases have highly contributed to this dilemma. "The court battles between Collective Management Organizations (CMOs) and KECOBO have denied the youth access to enough money despite their investments in the creative industry," she said.
For instance, she noted that Ksh103.7 million that had been collected through the Blank Tape Levy as of February 28 remains undistributed due to a pending court case.
Kenya Copyright Board Boss Edward Sigei speaking during the Exchange Forum on "Economic Value of Copyright &Digital Creative Industries" on August 23, 2023.
