Stakeholders in Kenya's content production industry are calling for a joint battle to save Kenya from losing an estimated Sh92 billion annually through piracy.
MultiChoice Kenya Managing Director Nzola Miranda and the company’s Public Relations Manager Elisha Kamau said there is a need to tighten the noose on pirates to save the creative industry in Kenya.
“If we are to grow this industry we will need to consume local materials. Production is very expensive and if investors don’t recoup their investments then it won’t grow,” said Kamau.
The rising cases of piracy have compelled the creative industry actors to call for amendments to the Kenya Cyber Crime Act in a bid to tame the runaway vice.
Data from the Partners Against Piracy (PAP), shows actors in the creative industry and the government suffer a gross loss of Sh92 billion annually, equivalent to Sh252 million per day through piracy of music, videos, and cinema content.
The research shows that Sh15 billion is lost through pirated music, Sh32 billion is lost to pirated video content and Sh5 billion is lost from cinema.
The industry loses another Sh8 billion from television; Sh29 billion from pirated books, magazines and newspapers and Sh3 billion is lost in gaming.
Additionally, the vice, according to the study costs the government over Sh12.69 billion in VAT, Sh2.49 billion in corporation tax, Sh1.07 billion in income tax for residents and Sh1.13 billion in income tax for non-residents yearly.
MutiChoice said a pirated film on the market deprives film creators of royalties that would have otherwise been paid through authorised film distribution.
“What’s more, excessive piracy drives away investors who would have otherwise invested in Kenya’s film industry,” added Kamau.
Separate findings by Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA) show that people gain access to films from movie shops and from traders on the streets, who illegally sell films.
Digital technology has also made it easier to access and download local films before they are distributed into the market, thus denying film creators from earning royalties and awards for their films.
“There is a need to establish regulation and enhance enforcement capacity of state agencies in film industry to prevent exploitation of local film makers by foreign companies,” said KIPPRA.
