Artists are now officially set to receive royalties through the eCitizen platform after the Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO) signed Service Level Agreements paving the way for the rollout of a digital royalty collection system.

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In a public statement released on June 23 and seen by this publication, the board said that the agreement was signed alongside the eCitizen Services Directorate, the Performing and Audio-Visual Rights Society of Kenya (PAVRISK) and the Kenya Association of Music Producers (KAMP) Copyright and Related Rights.

The agreements were signed ahead of the official launch and operationalisation of royalty collection through eCitizen.

“Today is the signing of the SLA in preparation for the official launch and going live on the collection of royalties on e-citizen platform,” the statement read.

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KECOBO said the platform will help enforce the long-discussed requirement that 70 per cent of royalties collected be remitted directly to artists.

The agreements mark the implementation of a directive that was issued by President William Ruto in 2025, requiring the regulator to fast-track the establishment of a digital royalties collection system on the platform.

“This is the culmination of a Presidential directive requiring Kenya Copyright Board, who is the regulator in the copyright sector, to roll out a digital royalties' system on the e-Citizen platform,” the statement added.

Citizen Services Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang and Youth Affairs Principal Secretary Fikirini Jacobs officiated the signing ceremony, signalling a significant shift in the management of copyright revenues in the creative sector.

The government disclosed the plan as early as 2024, and since then artists have been questioning when the changes would be actualised.

The development comes amid industry reforms aimed at improving existing compensation models for artists, including the recently gazetted Consolidated Music and Audio-Visual Works Tariffs.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke