Itumbi: Major update on Kenya’s Grammy Awards coming before June 2026

Head of Presidential Special Projects and Creative Economy Dennis Itumbi/HANDOUT

Head of Presidential Special Projects and Creative Economy Dennis Itumbi has said that Kenyans can expect a major update on the country’s bid to host the Grammy Awards before June this year.

A user on social media asked about the progress of Kenya’s effort to bring the global music awards to the country: “Na btw c kulikua na Grammy awards zifanywe Kenya, ama zilikuja na hatukujua. Oya @OleItumbi @StateHouseKenya What happened?”

In a post on his X platform on Saturday, Itumbi responded, asserting that work on the project remains ongoing.

“Before June this year (2026), there will be a major update on this issue. The focus remains,” he said, underlining that the government’s pursuits related to the creative economy are continuing.

The comment came amid speculation on whether Kenya’s bid for the Grammy Awards was still active and if formal developments around the project had stalled.

In December 2024, President William Ruto said that the government had already paid Sh500 million in its bid to host the Grammys in 2027.

Speaking during a Townhall meeting, Ruto said the same can be confirmed by representatives of the Grammys who were present at the event.

“The money for Grammys we already paid. We already paid Sh500 million, and I’m sure the gentleman from Grammys can confirm that that is the direction we are going,” he said.

According to Itumbi, hosting the World Creative Economy Conference will help unlock Kenya’s potential in the sector.

“The President has already given instructions for us to begin bidding for the World Creative Economy Conference in 2027. To become the first African country to bring the world sector here because that will unlock the entire creative economy,” he stated then.

President Ruto further said the Creative Bill in Parliament will make things better for creatives in the country.

He said Bill will provide solid directions on intellectual property issues as well as deal conclusively with piracy-related issues.

“The Creative Bill is going through in parliament to specifically remove the challenges you have highlighted. To update the law so that we remove outdated legislation and provide for a sure footing on matters of intellectual property and to deal with matters of piracy,” the President said.

President Ruto has been very keen on unlocking the country’s creative and digital economy since he took over the leadership of the country.

"Our plan identifies the creative economy as well as culture and heritage to be highly promising drivers of transformation and employment creation," he previously said.