- The Kenya Films and Classification Board (KFCB) has withdrawn non-compliance notices issued to YouTube content creators following significant backlash
- Chairman Njogu Njoroge announced the retraction to pave the way for consultative meetings with the creators
- This move comes after acting CEO Paskal Opiyo had given creators a 14-day ultimatum to acquire filming licenses, sparking widespread frustration.
The Kenya Films and Classification Board (KFCB) has retracted non-compliance notices issued to YouTube content creators, following significant backlash from the digital community.
This announcement was made by KFCB chairman Njogu Njoroge during the Parents Digital Literacy (PaDiL) Program event held in May 2023.
Earlier, acting Chief Executive Officer Paskal Opiyo had sent letters to several content creators, demanding that they acquire filming licenses from the board within 14 days or face legal action.
This move led to widespread frustration among creators and Kenyans online, who criticized the directive as overly restrictive and damaging to the creative industry.
In response to the uproar, Njoroge announced that the Board would withdraw the notices and initiate consultative meetings with content creators to address their concerns. “Our content creators should be supported all the way.
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They should be encouraged and supported 100 percent. We should be training our youth on monetization, and we are deliberate on that matter,” Njoroge stated.
Emphasizing the potential of digital media to create jobs, Njoroge added, “We should be talking about thousands of opportunities if not hundreds of thousands of jobs in the digital media.”
He directed the management to arrange for stakeholder engagements to find a way forward that supports the creative community.
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The notices had targeted several prominent content creators, including Timothy Kimani alias Njugush, Jacky Vike alias Awinja, Ben Cyco, Eunice Mammito, Makarios Ouma also known as Mwafreeka, Oga Obinna, Abel Mutua, and Terence Creative.
These creators had expressed their discontent with the requirement to submit their content for approval before distribution, a process they found impractical and unnecessary given YouTube’s existing content checks.
Njugush voiced his concerns on social media, questioning the need to submit short clips for approval: “KFCB says when there’s a trend, I quickly shoot a clip on my phone to run with the trend but I first send it to you to approve the 2 mins ‘film’ instead of using YouTube’s own checks? If you have a YouTube channel what are your thoughts?”
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The original notices from KFCB cited the Films and Stage Plays Act, accusing creators of distributing audio-visual content without the necessary licenses.
The acting CEO, Opiyo, emphasized the board’s mandate to regulate content distribution in Kenya, warning of legal consequences for non-compliance.
