President Uhuru Kenyatta has approved a plan aimed at enticing international filmmakers, most notably Hollywood producers to Kenya that does away with prohibitive costs that have driven potential business away from the country.
On Thursday, December 19, during a cabinet meeting, Kenyatta finally gave a nod to the implementation of the film incentives package.
Kenya has ostensibly lost opportunities to cash in on the large moviemaking budgets by international film companies, in part, due to the lack of incentives that have seen other African countries like South Africa taking the advantage.
The incentive will offer a tax rebate, credit and cash contribution to filmmakers.
"To boost the country’s position as the film destination of choice in Africa, the Cabinet discussed and approved the immediate implementation of the film incentives package.
"The incentives which include “one-stop-shop” approach to licence approvals, tax concessions and waivers of various levies for personnel and equipment are expected to encourage both local and international filmmakers to use locations in Kenya for their productions," a statement from Presidential Strategic Communications Unit (PSCU) read in part.
This means that Kenya will offer competition to South Africa and Nigeria which are amongst Africa's leading locations for movie productions.
It is also a major boost to the Kenya Films Commission (KFC) who worked towards creating the incentives and also routinely helps in the productions of films.
The opportunity for Kenya is immense as she already has the required typography (beach, desert, rainforest, savannah, mountains and cities), cultural groups, weather, equatorial filming light, depth of crew, work ethic and of technological advancements in mobile money transfer.
The incentive will also work towards job creation in several fields aligned with film making.
While speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, Kenya Film and Classification Board (KFCB) CEO Ezekiel Mutua lauded the move, stating that it was an early Christmas gift to filmmakers in Kenya by the head of state.
"I am very excited that this is happening at a time when I have spent the last three months wooing investors from Nollywood, Hollywood and Bollywood to come and film in Kenya. I just returned from Atlanta Georgia and California in the USA where I held meetings with great filmmakers and their concern was the incentives and infrastructure.
"Lack of incentives and tax rebates has been the weakest point in selling Kenya as a top filming destination. However, our flora and fauna are unrivalled. We are a powerhouse in ICT growth and our youths are talented and hardworking. But the lack of incentives was discouraging many investors who preferred South Africa to Kenya despite Kenya having some of the best filming locations in the world," Mutua affirmed.
