Sakaja: Nairobi to name roads after musicians

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has said plans are underway to rename roads in Nairobi after musicians.

He said this will honour musicians and ensure their legacy is remembered, adding that Nairobi county has attracted major local and international artists.

Sakaja said one of the roads in South C will be renamed after the late Boomba musician, Issah M'mari Wangui, popular known as E-Sir.

“We shall be honouring our artists by renaming some of the roads after them. One of the roads in South C shall be named after the great hero E-sir,” he said.

E-sir died tragically in March 2003 after he was involved in a road accident in Naivasha.

He died at a young age of 21 just when he was storming the Kenyan hip-hop scene with hit songs that saw him win four categories in the 2003 Kisima Music Awards.

Most roads in Nairobi have been named after politicians and influential leaders in the country.

While speaking during the 61st Jamhuri Day celebrations at Uhuru Gardens, Sakaja appreciated the national government's efforts to open up digital economy, which he said has seen social media and entertainment applications record immense growth.

The unprecedented development, the county boss observed, has opened an avenue for artistes to make a living from their creative works.

“We thank you President William Ruto because you have led from the front, you have engaged TikTok, YouTube and other platforms. You have travelled to international countries to engage many people and our young people can now monetise their content,” he said.

The governor further urged youths to come out and create content to monetise and earn a living out of it.

Sakaja said the youth do not need permit to shoot content in the city for free over the weekend.

President William Ruto said that the country is investing in local content creation to enhance quality and competitiveness of Kenyan creative products for export.

He said the move will also facilitate the development of digital platforms to distribute Kenyan creativity to global audiences.

“I'm confident that we are firmly on course to transform opportunities for our creative industry. I salute the actors in our creative spaces whose work brings life to our cities, streets and screens, yet their achievements are overshadowed by injustice,” Ruto said.

The President, however, bemoaned the meagre returns artistes are paid in royalties for their creative works.

“Musicians, who are the heartbeat and soul of our culture, have long been denied their rightful earnings. It is unacceptable that an artist earns as little as 10,000 shillings a year while those tasked with collecting their royalties pocket millions monthly.”

Ruto tasked the Kenya Copyright Board, in conjunction with industry players and eCitizen to establish a transparent, real-time system for royalty collection and distribution to rightful owners and beneficiaries.

The President said that Kenya is committed to celebrate talent and showcase vibrant culture to the world by bidding to host the 2026 World Creative Economy Conference.

He said that hosting the conference will be a bold declaration of Kenya’s leadership in the creative economy.