Popular Kenyan Artist Willy Paul made an impassioned appeal to President Uhuru Kenyatta on behalf of the entertainment industry.
In a public statement on Monday, March 30, the singer-songwriter pointed out a lacuna in the government's Coronavirus strategy in relation to the entertainment sector.
"My president I have an issue. The entertainment scene has been hit badly and sadly no one seems to care about whatever is happening to us," the musicians stated.
He highlighted the fact that other governments had provided some security for their musicians.
This is true in the UK where the Irish Government created a fund to provide financial relief to artists. This would provide small grants of up to Ksh 60,000 Kenya shillings to groups that needed it.
Willy Paul questioned why the government had failed to account for musicians while addressing the pandemic.
"The other day you had a press conference and all of us expected to hear our president’s thought on the entertainment scene. Unfortunately, you did not mention a thing," he stated.
The singer highlighted that most of their income came from the music they created and that with the current state of affairs they could not be expected to make money.
"Mr President, most of us depend on shows and gigs and we all know that our board of music has been having issues with the artists. They’ve been stealing from us...from ringback tones to every other thing. Most of us depend on music for everything Mr President. We have families that look up to us. Right now we’re all home, not making any money," he lamented
The musician made an appeal to the president to consider their plight particularly for those who were yet to be established and needed money to support themselves and their families.
"Mr President, I know you are a fan of Kenyan music, Kenyan content, and that you love your people. Please remember us in this dark moment," requested the musician.
The difficulty in the entertainment industry has been felt by a number in the field as well.
Kenyans.co.ke spoke to DJ Joe Mfalme who confirmed that the industry has taken a significant hit owing to the pandemic.
"Definitely we can feel the pinch because we had projects that have now stalled. It has affected everyone actually, so everything has ground to a halt," he stated.
He provided that what kept him from going under was his work on air. He urged Kenyans to stay at home so that business could return to what it was faster.
"For me, I'm blessed to have TV and Radio, that's why we are telling guys to stay at home so we can finish this thing quickly," he said.
Even established players in the industry are bearing the brunt of the pandemic.
Ben Aime of Sauti Sol provided that he has been forced to live off royalties and savings after all their projects came to a standstill.
It remains to be seen whether the government will heed the artist's pleas.
