Kenya Copyright Board chairman Hon Joshua Kutuny (left) and E-Citizen Director General Ambassador Isaac Ochieng (right) during the signing of Service Level Agreement./HANDOUT
The government has moved the collection and distribution of copyright royalties to the eCitizen platform.
The move is in a bid to improve transparency, reduce revenue leakages and ensure artists receive a greater share of the money collected from the use of their works.
The transition follows the signing of a Service Level Agreement between the Performing and Audio-Visual Rights Society of Kenya (PAVRISK) and the Directorate of eCitizen, paving the way for the collection of copyright royalties through the government's digital platform.
PAVRISK Chief Executive Officer Joseph K. Njagih said the new system would streamline the collection process and enhance the efficiency of distributing royalties to copyright holders.
The migration is also part of the implementation of a presidential directive requiring the Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO), the regulator of the copyright sector, to digitise the collection and distribution of royalties through eCitizen.
The agreement was signed in the presence of Principal Secretaries Dr Belio Kipsang of the State Department for Immigration and Citizen Services and Fikirini Jacobs of the State Department for Youth Affairs and Creative Economy.
KECOBO Chairman Joshua Kutuny, the board's Acting Executive Director George Nyakweba and PAVRISK Chairman Edwardo Waigwa witnessed the signing.
Officials said the new system marks a major milestone in the management of royalties collected on behalf of artists and is expected to strengthen accountability in the sector.
The new arrangement is also intended to support the requirement that at least 70 per cent of royalties collected be paid directly to rights holders.
According to KECOBO, PAVRISK is currently the licensed Collective Management Organisation (CMO) mandated to collect royalties from users of music and audio-visual works following regulatory action affecting other collective management organisations.
Njagih said users of music and audio-visual works would now be able to obtain their Unified Copyright Licence (UCL) through the eCitizen platform without having to visit physical offices.
"There will be no more excuses why users of music and audio-visual works will fail to comply with the regulations governing the collection of royalties by not obtaining Unified Copyright Licences (UCL) from PAVRISK, since licensing has been made simple through the eCitizen platform," Njagih said.
The development comes amid ongoing regulatory changes in the management of collective copyright licensing in Kenya.
Njagih said the digitised system would make licensing more accessible to users across the country.
He said PAVRISK licensing personnel, working with KECOBO, the Directorate of eCitizen and the National Police Service, would conduct regular inspections of business premises using music and audio-visual works to ensure compliance with copyright regulations.
