Reuben Kigame slams "meagre" royalty payout, says CMOs collect big, pays artistes peanuts

Gospel music legend Dr Reuben Kigame is not happy as Kenyan musicians keep earning low returns on their music.

The musician famed for gospel hits including Enda Nasi and his timeless albums noted that his frustration comes as the Performing Artists and Visual Rights Society of Kenya (PAVRISK) announced it had distributed Sh43.6 million in royalties to 5,911 creatives during the 2025-2026 financial year.

On paper, that number looks like good news. It's an increase of Sh19.6 million from the previous year, when the organisation distributed just Sh24 million, a jump of about 82 per cent.

But for Kigame, one of Kenya's most recognisable gospel artists, the figures tell a very different story once you break them down per artist.

Taking to social media, the veteran musician did not hold back.

"I believe my music is one of the most played in the country. I share this on behalf of thousands of exploited musicians and creative artists in Kenya. CMOs collect a lot but pay artists peanuts," Kigame wrote.

He went a step further than most artists typically do, publishing his own actual earnings from the collecting body for the past year, and daring others to do the same.

"Here is my earning as a prolific musician for the last one year. Meanwhile, NCSK has not paid musicians for years, not a single cent. I have published my earnings from this CMO. I challenge the Directors and those who work with these collecting bodies including KECOBO to also publish what they have earned from our music at least for the last one year," he said.

It's a bold challenge, and one that lands right in the middle of a sector already under scrutiny.

Kigame's outburst comes as the copyright sector continues wrestling with prolonged court battles, regulatory disputes, and growing concerns over how royalties collected from users of creative works are actually tracked and managed.

Speaking at the PAVRISK Annual General Meeting, chairman Edward Waigwa acknowledged that lengthy court processes have directly affected how quickly artists get paid.

According to Waigwa, artists have repeatedly been forced to wait on their earnings as disputes involving collective management organisations dragged on in court.

Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO) chairman Joshua Kutuny, whose three-year tenure is coming to an end, painted a picture of a sector that has come a long way, even if artists like Kigame feel it still has far to go.

Kutuny said that when he first joined KECOBO, the country's three CMOs combined were distributing less than Sh30 million, while total collections sat below Sh20 million.

"We moved to an organisation where collection was below Sh20 million, distribution was below Sh30 million by the three CMOs, to right now where we are talking about one CMO almost now getting to Sh50 million in distribution," Kutuny said.

He credited the improvement to stronger internal regulations, tighter procedures, and closer engagement between the regulator and the CMOs. He also noted that some organisations had failed to comply with regulatory requirements altogether, and consequently lost their licences.

For all the talk of improved numbers and stricter oversight, Kigame's public challenge cuts straight to what many creatives have quietly grumbled about for years, whether the money actually collected in their name is being fairly shared with them.

By publishing his own earnings he called on CMO directors and KECOBO officials to do the same.