Copyright Board moves to review Act to protect content creators

PHILIP ONYANGO-KNA

The Government , through Kenya Copyright Board, is reviewing the country’s copyright laws to keep up with the demands of the current online environment, Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO) Deputy Director, Sharon Chahale Wata has said.

Speaking in Siaya town, Wata said the Kenya Copyright Bill(amendment), 2026 seeks to align the protection of intellectual property with the 2010 constitution and ensure that the country’s creatives are properly protected against exploitation.

Wata, who is the Deputy Executive Director in charge of Training and Research said the bill, which is currently undergoing public participation, provides a wide protection on the online environment and seeks to, among other things, expand the mandate of the copyright tribunal. 

“The 2010 Constitution specifically provides for protection of intellectual property and so we also want to keep up with the laws of the land,” she said and urged Kenyans to visit KECOBO website and give their comments on the bill.

The Director said the Board was committed to enforcing copyright laws so that Kenyan innovators can get value for their work and urged anybody whose work has been infringed upon to contact the organization for redress.

Addressing the occasion, KECOBO’s head of human resource, Ketty Arucy challenged Kenyan content creators to observe national values while generating content.

Arucy stressed the need for the content creators to come up with materials that would promote peace and unity instead of content that glorifies social ills. She called on the content creators to manage their incomes well and invest wisely.