The Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO) has written to the Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission (EACC) requesting the anti-graft agency to investigate the Ezekiel Mutua led Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK) over alleged misappropriation of Ksh56 million ought to have been paid to musicians as royalties.
In a letter to EACC CEO Twalib Mbarak, Kenya Copyright Board Executive Director Edward Sigei explained that in the exercise of its mandate, KECOBO met with three Collective Management Organisations (CMOs) on January 25, 2024, to review their performance in 2023.
Besides MCSK, KECOBO also met with the Performers Rights Society of Kenya (PRSK) and the Kenya Association of Music Producers (KAMP).
"During the meeting, it emerged that one of the CMOs, Music Copyright Society of Kenya Limited (MCSK) could not sufficiently account for the sum of Kshs. 56 (Fifty-Six) Million or thereabouts, money that should have been paid to musicians as royalties," Sigei stated in the letter.
In the letter, Sigei stated that KECOBO has good reason to believe that the money was misappropriated or diverted.
"The purpose of this letter is, therefore, to request you to commence investigations into possible fraud at the organisation," Sigei requested in the letter addressed to Mbarak.
Sigei further outlined that KECOBO is willing to provide more details on the same should it be required to do so by the investigative agency.
By the time of publishing this piece, EACC had also not communicated whether it had commenced investigations into the matter.
In a quick rejoinder, however, MCSK CEO Ezekiel Mutua strongly refuted the allegations, terming KECOBO's move to invite EACC to undertake investigations as pure intimidation.
"This letter is part of the intimidation plan. Why would you stoop so low to malign people or intimidate them with such?" Mutua stated through his verified social media handle.
Mutua clarified that on the same day, MCSK board members were at a Nairobi hotel presiding over royalties distribution.
"How can someone claim that we were not able to account for monies that we were distributing the same day? Where's fairness in these tactics?" Mutua questioned.
