The Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO) has rolled out a far-reaching set of consolidated tariffs governing the use of music and audiovisual content, marking one of the most significant regulatory shifts in Kenya’s creative economy in recent years.
The tariffs, which silently took effect on January 1, 2026 and will run through December 2028, are part of a broader effort to streamline royalty collection and ensure artists and rights holders are compensated for the commercial use of their work.
At the centre of the new framework is a push to formalise how music is used across entertainment, media and business spaces, bringing sectors that have long operated informally into a structured licensing system.
DJs, who sit at the core of Kenya’s nightlife and events culture, are among the most directly affected.
Under the new regime as seen in a gazette notice, individual DJs must either pay an annual licence fee of KSh 30,000 or opt for a per-event charge of KSh 1,000.
Training institutions, including DJ academies and music schools, will be required to pay KSh 20,000 annually.
The hospitality industry,one of the biggest consumers of music, also faces a substantial cost adjustment.
Nightclubs, bars, restaurants, hotels and short-term rental spaces such as Airbnbs will now be charged 60 percent of their Single Business Permit.
Private members’ clubs will pay up to KSh 100,000 annually in major urban centres and KSh 75,000 in other regions.
Event organisers have not been spared. Promoters of local concerts will pay KSh 50,000 per event, while international shows will attract a KSh 100,000 licence fee.
Live performers, including bands and resident acts, will also require licences, with fees set at KSh 50,000 in cities and KSh 20,000 outside major towns.
For media houses, the changes introduce a revenue-based model.
Broadcasters will now remit 4 percent of their net revenue to rights holders, with minimum annual payments set at KSh 500,000 for national radio stations and KSh 400,000 for national television.
Regional stations will pay slightly lower minimums.
The new tariffs extend even further to everyday commercial spaces.
Supermarkets, salons and public transport operators will be required to pay licensing fees based on size, capacity and location, ranging from KSh 3,000 to more than KSh 200,000.
KECOBO, whose mandate includes administering and enforcing copyright and coordinating the creative sector, says the changes are intended to create a more transparent and sustainable system for monetising creative works.
The move follows a period of restructuring within Kenya’s copyright sector, including reforms around collective management organisations and licensing frameworks, which have historically faced disputes over transparency and revenue distribution.
While regulators argue the new structure will finally guarantee fair returns for artists, the tariffs are expected to trigger pushback from industry players, particularly small businesses and independent creatives, over the rising cost of compliance in an already strained economic environment.
The coming months are likely to test how effectively the new system balances enforcement with industry sustainability, as stakeholders adjust to a more tightly regulated creative economy.