Music sacco wants Uhuru order enacted

Talented Musicians and Composers (Tamco) Sacco vice chairman Epha Maina wants last weekend presidential directives on the music industry be entrenched in the law.

Mr Maina said the “noble initiative that the president verbally started at John De’ Mathew’s burial risks not being implemented if not protected by legislation”.

Mr Maina was speaking in Murang’a County during the launch of a Sh80 million commercial building.

The Tamco leadership was accompanied by Murang'a Governor Mwangi wa Iria.

President Uhuru Kenyatta while paying his last tributes to De’ Mathew whom he termed a “personal friend since 2002” directed Information and Communication Technology CS Joe Mucheru to ensure royalties due to musicians are paid after they are collected from music users.

De’ Mathew was Tamco chairman until his death in a road accident near Blue Post Hotel on the outskirts of Thika Town.

The President further directed the Music Copyright Board be transferred from the Attorney General’s office to the ICT ministry arguing that “the AG’s office is composed of legal mindsets not techno-savvy individuals who can track music usage.”

In far-reaching policy directives, the President said all music users’ licences that include media houses and mobile phone service providers be subject to renewal only when they are cleared to have paid full amounts evaluated as music industry dues.

Mr Maina said if the presidential directives are not enacted into law, no meaningful change will occur for artistes.

He said the Sacco management is consulting Murang’a Senator Irungu Kang’ata to facilitate entrenchment of the directives into law.

The president further directed Mr Mucheru to ensure a Sh10 million performing arts’ equipped studio is established “with immediate effect at Kirwara trading centre of Gatanga Sub County.” Mr wa Iria insisted musicians should be getting 50 percent of proceeds accrued from usage of music on the Skiza service as opposed to the current 30 per cent.