Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has moved to clarify new charges imposed on filmmakers and players in the creative industry after content creators raised concerns about the cost of producing content in the city.
The charges are contained in the Nairobi City County Finance Act, 2026, which sets new fees for a range of filming and digital entertainment activities.
The new rates have caused concern among some content creators, particularly over whether ordinary social media creators would also be required to pay the fees when shooting their videos around Nairobi.
Sakaja, however, said the county was not targeting young people making ordinary digital content.
“These charges were never intended to target ordinary content creators, influencers or young people creating digital content. We intend to regulate professional and commercial film productions that require significant use of public spaces and infrastructure,” Sakaja said.
Under the new Finance Act, local producers will pay KSh8,000 per commercial filming session, while commercial productions from outside the country will pay KSh50,000 per shoot.
Religious and private filming has been set at KSh8,000, while music video production will attract a KSh10,000 charge.
The law also introduces an annual fee of KSh40,000 for content creation studios.
Local streaming platforms will pay KSh100,000 annually, while digital content platforms will be charged KSh80,000.
Influencers organising monetised events will also be required to pay KSh10,000 per event.
Sakaja explains who the charges target
Sakaja said the county’s intention was to distinguish between an individual creating a social media video and a large commercial production that requires significant use of public facilities.
“There is a clear difference between a content creator shooting a video for social media and a large film production arriving with a crew, equipment, vehicles and requiring the temporary closure or controlled use of a road. That is who we are targeting,” he said.
In the governor’s words, huge productions could take up public spaces for long and need the assistance of the county in terms of traffic arrangements.
He mentioned that the county knows the significance of the creative industries as a means of generating revenue, especially for young people.
Sakaja also mentioned the importance of the industry in promoting Nairobi as it allows the city to be promoted to the rest of the country and the world.
Charges for other entertainers
Finance Act also includes the charges that would affect the other participants of the entertainment and broadcasting industry.
TV stations will have an annual charge of KSh200,000 while radio stations will have KSh150,000 per year.
Charges for cinemas and theatres will be KSh100,000 per screen annually.
Online entertainment events will attract a KSh15,000 fee.
Sakaja said his administration would continue supporting Nairobi’s creative economy while putting in place rules for large commercial productions that make extensive use of public spaces and county facilities.
The clarification comes as content creators continue to adjust to the new charges and seek clarity on how the provisions of the 2026 Finance Act will apply to different types of digital content production.