The Kenyan entertainment scene is facing a massive shake-up following the official gazettement of the Consolidated Music and Audio-Visual Works Tariffs for 2026–2028. Under these new regulations, playing music in a public or commercial setting is no longer considered a “vibe” but a taxable commercial act. This means everyone from the DJ at your local “Kinyozi” to the promoters of international concerts must now pay for the right to use copyrighted music, with the government insisting that this is the only way to ensure artists finally get their fair share of the “Digital Shilling.”
The hardest hit are the individual creators and the backbone of the nightlife. DJs and DJ Academies are now required to cough up an annual license fee of Sh20,000 just to operate. For the bigger players, the costs are even steeper; Nightclubs and Casinos in cities like Nairobi and Mombasa will pay a flat rate of Sh100,000 annually, while Live Bands are looking at Sh50,000. Even the “Manyanga” culture is under the microscope, with Matatus being charged between Sh4,000 and Sh15,000 depending on their seating capacity, effectively putting a price tag on every mix played during your morning commute.
Perhaps the most eye-watering figures are reserved for the “Big Events” and the political class. International concerts are now taxed at Sh100,000 per event, while political rallies—the peak of high-volume music use in Kenya—face a massive tariff of up to Sh500,000 per rally. For the smaller “hustler” DJs, the choice is between a Sh30,000 annual mobile license or a Sh1,000 “pay-as-you-play” fee per event. While the Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO) defends this as a win for creators, the industry is already buzzing with questions about whether these high costs will kill the party or finally put money in the pockets of the musicians.
