The Music Copyright Society of Kenya logo/COURTESY
NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 22 – The Kenya Copyright Board has declined to renew the license of the Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK) for the year 2017.
The move has been attributed to MCSK’s failure to submit a list of its members and amounts received in royalties.
MCSK also failed to produce its audited financial statements for the year ending June 2016.
The Copyright Board says the documents are a mandatory to determine sustainability to function as a collecting society in ine with opyright laws.
This comes as Kenyan artistes accuse MCSK of unfairly paying out royalties and misappropriating members’ money.
Last year, Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK) CEO Maurice Okoth resigned two weeks to the release of a report by an in-house committee investigating him for abuse of office.
Okoth had been suspended in March 7, 2016 but resigned shortly after appearing before the committee that was tasked to investigate whether he had abused his position.
The suspension came after Elani, a Kenyan band, released an online video questioning the credibility of MCSK in royalty collection and distribution.
Okoth was suspended alongside an accountant Lilian Thuo and regional manager Peter Inyenze.
The board appointed Merit Simiyu Wambati as the Acting CEO.
