Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Raila Odinga became the first politician in the country to comply with the Copyright Bill, 2021 when he paid Ksh.562,500 to musicians for his campaign songs.
The money was wired to the Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK) account by his daughter Winnie Odinga, granting him a license.
The license accords Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Alliance rights to use any music, both locally and internationally for the August 9, 2022, general election.
“We thank Winnie and the entire Raila Odinga’s presidential team for this gesture and urge other political candidates to emulate them by making payments for the use of copyrighted musical works in their campaigns.” Said MCSK
The Society had suspended tariffs in 2020 to cushion Kenyans from coronavirus economic effects.
Odinga becomes the first politician in the country to comply with the reinstated tariffs.
Section 38 (c) of the Kenya Copyright Act 2021 says that any person who causes a literary or musical work, an audio-visual work or a sound recording, to be performed in public at a time when copyright subsists in such work or sound recording and where such performances is an infringement of that copyright, shall be guilty of an offence.
Offenders face a fine not exceeding Ksh.500,000 or a jail sentence of four years or both.
Artists in the country have been championing fairness in how their materials are being used in the media industry.
